Colorado Becomes 18th State To Ban Conversion Therapy

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis

Governor Jared Polis - the country’s first openly gay governor - has signed two pieces of legislation into law that are vital to the health and safety of LGBTQ youth in Colorado.

HB19-1039 will allow transgender Coloradans to more easily update the gender on their birth certificate, enabling them to have the identification documents that match who they are. Coloradans will be able to update their gender on their birth certificate to M, F, or X — without a surgery, a doctor’s note, or court order.

Removing both the surgery requirement and court order requirement allows transgender people the ability to self-identify on their ID document. Colorado is the third state in the country (following California and Oregon) to have non-binary gender options for both driver’s licenses and birth certificates.

HB19-1129 will ban a state-licensed mental health care provider from engaging in the discredited, harmful practice of conversion therapy on a patient under 18 years of age. 

Conversion therapy is the discredited and dangerous practice of attempting to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. 

A physician or mental health care provider who violates this provision engages in unprofessional conduct under the applicable professional licensing board. Colorado will be the 18th state in the country to protect minors from conversion therapy.

The harmful practice is widely opposed by prominent professional medical associations including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

A 2018 study found that the rate of attempted suicide by LGBTQ youth whose parents tried to change their sexual orientation was more than double the rate of LGBTQ youth who reported no such attempts. 

"The Trevor Project is proud to stand with One Colorado and all of the amazing lawmakers and advocates in the Centennial State as they become the 18th state in the country to protect LGBTQ youth from the dangers of conversion therapy,” said Sam Brinton, Head of Advocacy and Government Affairs for The Trevor Project. 

“Watching the first openly LGBTQ governor in the nation sign this legislation is an especially humbling moment," he added. "Trevor will continue working across the nation until this horrible practice is relegated to the dustbin of history."

Congratulations Colorado for protecting LGBTQ youth from the discredited practice of #ConversionTherapy! 🎉

Learn more about the amazing work of our partners and advocates in Colorado: https://t.co/xvxgzJE81K

Let's protect LGBTQ youth across the US 🌟 Text TREVOR to 40649 📲 pic.twitter.com/RlR5bFoFeP

— The Trevor Project (@TrevorProject) May 31, 2019