Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) ratified Democratic legislation Wednesday banning efforts by therapists to encourage children to embrace their biological sex and/or a straight orientation. Meanwhile, the state still permits conversion therapies for children if the aim is to render them transgender or non-straight.
House Bill 4616, first introduced in May by Democratic state Rep. Felicia Brabec of Pittsfield, prohibits mental health professionals from "engaging in conversion therapy with a minor."
A corresponding amendment, House Bill 4717, defines "conversion therapy" thusly: "Any practice or treatment by a mental health professional that seeks to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, including, but not limited to, efforts to change behavior or gender expression or to reduce or eliminate sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward an individual of the same gender."
