Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill on Wednesday banning the use of conversion therapy on minors, reports AP.
The big picture: Maine joins 16 other states and the District of Columbia that have outlawed the use of conversion therapy for youth. Other states are considering similar legislation, including North Carolina, per AP.
Context: Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of trying to change the sexual orientation, gender identity or the gender expression of LGBT people, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA.
The 16 states that have banned conversion therapy for minors:
- California
- New Jersey
- Oregon
- Illinois
- Vermont
- Rhode Island
- New Mexico
- Connecticut
- Nevada
- Washington
- Maryland
- Hawaii
- New Hampshire
- Delaware
- New York
- Massachusetts
What's next: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is expected to sign a bill into law on May 31 to ban the use of conversion therapy against minors after numerous past attempts to pass similar legislation, reports The Denver Channel.
Go deeper: Massachusetts now prohibits conversion therapy for minors
