Washington State Makes Conversion Therapy Illegal

In good news this week, Washington state has outlawed conversion therapy. In bad news this week, Washington is only the 10th state to make conversion therapy illegal. That's right, you can legally attempt to convert people to heterosexuality in 40 states! Isn't America great?

California, Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont have already made conversion therapy illegal -- meaning it's legal everywhere else. It's legal to practice conversion therapy in New York City!

Senate Bill 5722 passed last month (the vote was 33-16), and was signed into law yesterday by Washington governor Jay Inslee.

"We are thankful that politicians on both sides of the aisle in Washington States have joined together to protect LGBTQ youth," said Trevor Project CEO Amit Paley in a press release. "This victory is part of a growing movement to stop conversion across the country and we won't rest until conversion therapy is banned in all 50 states."

"Medical professionals agree this harmful and discredited practice not only doesn't work, but can also have life-threatening consequences," said Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin. "We thank the many advocates, allies, parents, and survivors who spoke out against conversion therapy and urged their elected officials to adopt these crucial protections."