User:Guycn2/Sandbox3

A list of states, cities and counties in the United States banning sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts (conversion therapy) is below.

All bans, except for New York City's (and Washington, D.C.'s pending review), are limited to such therapy for minors.

Background
Conversion therapy is aimed at changing one's sexual orientation or gender identity. This practice is not backed by scientists, and there is no reliable evidence that the sexual orientation of a person can be changed. Nevertheless, some advocates of this practice provide anecdotal reports of people who claim some degree of success in becoming heterosexual.

Researches have found that LGBT people who undergo conversion therapy are significantly more likely to become ashamed, fearful, depressed, and suicidal. Many of the major health organizations across the U.S. and the world, including the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association, have condemned the practice and found it harmful. As a result, a growing number of jurisdictions across the United States have enacted laws and ordinances prohibiting mental health professionals from providing conversion therapies for minors.

The first U.S. state to ban conversion therapy for minors was California, which did so in 2012 (although New Jersey's ban took effect a few days before California's). Many other jurisdictions have since followed suit, as currently fifteen states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and numerous cities and counties, ban therapists from attempting to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of a minor.