Kentucky governor vows to continue standing up for LGBTQ+ kids ‘hated on by their general assembly’

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear has reaffirmed his commitment to LGBTQ+ rights after state GOP lawmakers ended a ban on so-called conversion therapy.

A last-minute vote on Friday (14 March) saw House politicians pass a measure further protecting LGBTQ+ conversion therapy in the state while also outlawing the use of Medicaid funds to pay for gender-affirming care for trans people.

The vote occurred less than an hour before a deadline for the GOP majority in the state to pass bills and retain its right to override vetoes from the governor.

So-called conversion therapy is a discredited practice in which malicious actors attempt to change a person’s sexuality or gender identity through psychological manipulation, which is impossible.

The bill’s lead sponsor, GOP rep. David Hale, said following the vote that he believed conversion therapy amounted to mental health care, and that families should be able to access the care of their choice.

Beshear: When I vetoed the nastiest anti-LGBTQ+ bill during my election year, I explained why I did it. My faith teaches me that all children are children of God. I wanted those children, who were being hated on, to know their governor cares for them… my faith tells me that’s my job

— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T20:53:47.307Z

Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, signed an executive order banning the spending of tax dollars on the discredited practice in September 2024, accusing it of “endangering and even harming children.“

His order was rescinded as a result of the vote, which was denounced by Beshear who said it “has no place in our commonwealth or anywhere else.”

Speaking on the MeidasTouch podcast following the results of the vote, Beshear said that he believed leaders should be held accountable as to “why” they do things, saying that, for him, it’s his faith.

“When I vetoed the nastiest anti-LGBTQ+ bill during my election year, I explained why I did it,” he said. “My faith teaches me that all children are children of God. I wanted those children, who were being hated on by their general assembly, to know their governor cares for them…. my faith tells me that’s my job.”

Elsewhere, Andy Beshear also slammed the Medicaid part of the bill, saying that methods of care should be left to the medical experts, adding: “We don’t determine someone’s health care based on the politics of the day.”

Last week, news emerged that the US Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case challenging the state of Colorado’s ban on LGBTQ+ conversion therapy.

SCOTUSblog reported on Monday (10 March) that the court will hear a challenge to the Colorado law prohibiting mental health counselors from practicing the widely criticised and discredited practice 

The challenge alleges that the ban violates the First Amendment’s free speech clause, with judges expected to hear the case during their next term, which starts in October.