New Mexico votes to ban gay conversion therapy

Gay activist and politician Jacob Candelaria has managed to convince an entire state to ban gay conversion therapy by vote, Gay Star News reports.

Candelaria, a Democrat who represents Albuquerque, convinced politicians to pass the legislation by a huge vote of 32-6.

The bill faces a second vote in the House of Representatives, and it’s likely to pass as the the House is controlled by Democrats.

If the bill does pass, it’ll make gay conversion therapy a crime in the state of New Mexico.

Prior to the vote, Candelaria said: “When you’re a young Hispanic Catholic kid growing up in Albuquerque and folks use some horrible words to describe you, both to your face and behind your back… that hurts.”

“That is abuse. And I hope we don’t adopt the assumption that the only form of abuse is physical abuse.”

Speaking on the vote, Sarah Warbelow of the Human Rights Campaign said: “No child should ever be subjected to the incredibly dangerous practice of so-called conversion therapy.”

“For the sake of some of the state’s most vulnerable youth, the New Mexico House of Representatives should quickly pass this legislation and help end this barbaric form of child abuse.”

Conversion therapy has already been banned in several US states including California, New York, Illinois and Washington DC.

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