Maryland bans "gay conversion therapy" for minors

[Photo by: Peter Hershey/Unsplash]

Maryland has become the 11th U.S. state to ban  “gay conversion therapy” on underage individuals.

Read more: Study shows more teens are identifying as transgender and gender-nonconforming

Governor Larry Hogan signed the legislation on Tuesday, May 15.

The bill prohibits health professionals from trying “trying to alter a person’s sexual orientation through psychological intervention,” reports USA Today. 

Maryland joins the growing list of states that already have similar laws. California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia, have banned “gay conversion therapy” for minors, as well.

Activist Mathew Shurka tells USA Today the law is a step toward banning the practice throughout the country. According to Shurka, 700,000 people in the U.S. have already been through this kind of intervention.