Hawaii lawmakers on Friday gave final
approval to a bill that bans therapies that attempt to alter the
sexual orientation or gender identity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender youth.
Such therapies go by names such as
“conversion therapy,” “reparative therapy” or “ex-gay
therapy.
Both legislative chambers approved the
bill, but amendments added in the House sent it to conference
committee to be reconciled with the version approved last month in
the Senate.
“This has been a priority of the
caucus for years,” Representative Michael Golojuch, a Democrat and
the chairman of the LGBT Caucus of Hawaii's Democratic Party, is
quoted as saying by Hawaii
News Now.
“[This bill] ensures that LGBTQ youth
will not be tortured by mental health professionals,” Golojuch
added.
Democratic Governor David Ige is
expected to sign the bill into law.
After the bill cleared the House, the
Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights
advocate, called on lawmakers not to water down the bill in
conference committee.
“So-called ‘conversion therapy’
is nothing short of child abuse with life-threatening consequences
for countless LGBTQ youth,” HRC Senior Vice President for Policy
and Political Affairs JoDee Winterhof said in a statement. “It is
time Hawaii join the growing number of states who are enacting laws
to protect LGBTQ youth from this dangerous and discredited practice.
We urge state legislators to swiftly advance SB 270 through
conference committee with the strongest, timely protections intact
and send it to Governor Ige’s desk.”
Similar legislation has been enacted in
Maryland, Washington, Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Jersey,
Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New York, Rhode Island, New Mexico and the
District of Columbia. An increasing number of local municipalities
have also enacted similar protections, particularly in Florida. Late
last month, Milwaukee
became the first municipality in Wisconsin to enact such a ban.