North Dakota is the latest US state to take action against LGBTQ+ conversion therapy, with the Administrative Rules Committee voting 8-7 to ban liscensed social workers from performing “any practices or treatments that attempt to change or repair the sexual orientation or gender identity”.
According to the Washington Blade, the new regulations were first proposed by the North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners, which argued it is an “ethical violation” for social workers to engage in conversion therapy.LGBTQ+ activists have praised the decision, with Troy Stevenson, senior advocacy campaign manager for The Trevor Project, saying it will help to stop the “abusive and fraudulent” practice.