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<\/p>\nRhode Island Becomes 10th State to Ban Harmful Gay Conversion Therapy for Minors<\/b><\/p>\n
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Rhode Island\u2019s Governor Gina Raimondo has signed a bill into law banning harmful gay<\/a> conversion therapy for minors, making the state the 10th in the U.S. to do so. Washington D.C. also bans the practice.<\/p>\n Writes HRC<\/a>:<\/p>\n Rhode Island is now the eleventh jurisdiction \u2014 and the fourth state so far this year \u2014 to enact these crucially important protections. Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New York, and New Mexico all have laws or regulations protecting youth from this abusive practice. A growing number of municipalities have also enacted similar protections, including cities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida.<\/p>\n \u201cConversion therapy,\u201d sometimes referred to as \u201csexual orientation change efforts\u201d or \u201creparative therapy,\u201d encompasses a range of dangerous practices that seek to change an individual\u2019s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. These practices are based on the false premise that being LGBTQ is a mental illness that needs to be cured \u2014 a theory that has been rejected for decades by every major medical and mental health organization.<\/p>\n The post Rhode Island Becomes 10th State to Ban Harmful Gay Conversion Therapy for Minors<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n