Rodríguez Veve wants governor to repeal ban on sex conversion therapies for minors.

Sen. Joanne Rodríguez Veve

By THE STAR STAFF

Independent Sen. Joanne Rodríguez Veve announced Monday night that she has formally requested that Gov. Jenniffer González Colón repeal an executive order banning so-called conversion therapies for minors.

The executive order, OE-2019-016, was signed in 2019 by former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló Nevares and prohibits the practice of conversion therapies on individuals under the age of 18.

In a statement posted on social media, Rodríguez Veve argued that the ban is unconstitutional in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

“According to the recent decision of the federal Supreme Court in Chiles v. Salazar, such prohibitions, in the context of talk therapy, are unconstitutional because they violate the fundamental right to freedom of speech,” the legislator stated.

Conversion therapies refer to practices that attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, typically seeking to make individuals stop identifying as homosexual, bisexual or transgender. The practices are commonly carried out through psychological counseling or religious guidance and have been widely criticized by medical and human rights organizations.

According to ILGA World, at least 20 U.S. states have enacted legislation banning conversion therapies. The ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) is an LGBTQ+ rights organization founded in 1978 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.