Maine: 'You Are Not Broken,' Bans Conversion Therapy For Minors

The U.S. state Maine has joined a number of other states, including recent converts - Delaware and California, that have banned the practice of gay conversion therapy on minors after Gov. Janet Mills signed the bill into legislation.

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“Today, we send an unequivocal message to young LGBTQ people: we stand with you, we support you, and we will always defend your right to be who you are,” the governor posted to Twitter Wednesday.

The legislation states that the practice “is based on the false premise that being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is a mental illness or disorder and is caused by a developmental deficiency, trauma, abuse or unmet emotional needs and that conversion therapy can alter a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Maine has now become the 17th state to make gay conversion therapy illegal, according to an NBC report.

“Today I signed into law a bill banning conversion therapy, a widely-discredited practice that has no place in Maine,” Mills added.

The bill was passed with bipartisan support and prohibits the “advertising, offering and administering of therapy designed to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, also known as conversion therapy, to individuals under 18 years of age” in the state.

“The legislature and Gov. Mills are sending a clear and concise message to our LGBTQ young people: You matter. You belong. And you are loved for who you are,” Assistant House Majority Leader Ryan Fecteau said. “So-called conversion therapy is irresponsible and harmful. I am so proud that Maine is standing tall to affirm that no young person needs to ‘fix’ what is not broken.”

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The practice of conversion therapy is also banned in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New Mexico, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Nevada, Washington, Hawaii, Maryland, New Hampshire, and New York, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

One year ago, Republican ex-governor Paul LePage had vetoed a similar bill.

LePage claimed that parents “have the right” to seek conversion therapy for their children, describing the then-bill as “a threat to an individual’s religious liberty.”

The newly minted legislation will pull the plug on state-licensed counselors, psychologists, social workers, health professionals, guidance counselors as well as pastoral and family therapists from engaging in conversion therapy.