Lawmakers in Greece have approved a
bill that bans therapies that attempt to alter the sexual orientation
or gender identity of LGBTQ minors.
Such therapies go by names such as
“conversion therapy,” “reparative therapy,” “sexual
orientation change efforts” or “ex-gay therapy.”
According to Reuters, explicit consent
must be given for a health professional to perform such treatment.
Violators face fines and a possible prison term. The bill also
prohibits advertising such therapies.
LGBTQ rights advocates called the
“explicit consent” rule a loophole that could be abused by
coercive parents.
Canada, New Zealand, and France
recently introduced stricter laws banning conversion therapy.
In the United States, twenty states and
the District of Columbia have enacted laws protecting minors from
such practices. Four states have issued executive orders restricting
its use.