SACRAMENTO – California governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill barring a controversial therapy that aims to reverse homosexuality in minors, the measures sponsor said on Sunday.
Brown’s approval made California the first state to ban so-called conversion therapy. The move marked a major victory for gay rights advocates, who say the therapy, also called reparative therapy, has no medical basis because homosexuality is not a disorder.
The Bill’s sponsor, Democrat state senator Ted Lieu, said in a statement that Mr Brown had signed the Bill. An announcement from the governor’s office was expected yesterday.
The Bill bars children and teenagers under 18 from undergoing sexual orientation change efforts. It was supported by the American Psychiatric Association, California Psychological Association and the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. – (Reuters)