Kentucky’s Republican lawmakers have passed legislation that supports the continued use of conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ minors, while also banning Medicaid funds from covering gender-affirming healthcare for transgender residents.
The bill was approved late Friday, just before the midnight deadline that allowed the GOP-majority legislature to retain the ability to override vetoes. The House passed the bill after accepting a Senate version that prohibits Medicaid funding for gender-affirming treatments.
Conversion therapy, a practice widely discredited by the medical community, attempts to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling or therapy.
The legislation also removes restrictions placed by Democratic Governor Andy Beshear in 2022. Beshear had issued an executive order banning the use of tax dollars for conversion therapy on minors, citing the need to protect children. The order also directed licensing boards to develop policies that could discipline those found to have engaged in conversion therapy with minors.
The measure passed both chambers with veto-proof margins, despite strong opposition from Governor Beshear, who has denounced the bill. He has argued that conversion therapy increases the risk of suicide among LGBTQ+ youth and equates the practice to torture. Beshear, seen as a potential presidential candidate in 2028, also criticized the Medicaid provisions of the bill, emphasizing that medical decisions should be left to healthcare experts rather than influenced by politics.
The bill’s sponsors, including Republican Rep. David Hale, argued that the legislation ensures families have access to the mental health services they choose and protects counselors and religious organizations from discrimination.
On the same day, the House also passed a bill that restricts transgender inmates in Kentucky prisons from receiving gender-affirming healthcare. Supporters of the bill argue that it distinguishes between essential medical care and elective procedures, stating that while inmates will continue to receive care for legitimate health issues, state funds will not be used for gender transition treatments.
Opponents, including LGBTQ+ advocates like Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign, have criticized the bills, calling them harmful to already vulnerable populations. Hartman referred to the legislation as one of the most “shameful” bills in Kentucky’s history.
Republican groups, such as The Family Foundation, have defended the measures as necessary steps to protect free speech and religious freedom.
Democratic Rep. Sarah Stalker expressed frustration over the legislature’s focus on these issues, suggesting the time could have been better spent addressing matters like healthcare, jobs, and housing.
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