On Friday, March 14, lawmakers in the Kentucky General Assembly passed House Bill 495. The bill, which sought to overturn an executive order by Gov. Andy Beshear, would allow conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth in the Commonwealth. It also bars Medicaid from covering gender transition treatments in Kentucky.
The bill passed the State House minutes before the current session of the General Assembly ended at midnight, March 15, with a vote of 67 yays to 19 nays. Rep. David Hale, the bill’s lead sponsor and Republican from the 74th district, stated that families should have access to the mental health care of their choice. He also stated that his bill would protect mental health care professionals, institutions and ordained ministers from discrimination when providing counseling services.
The bill has faced heavy disagreement among Democrats in Kentucky offices. Rep. Adam Moore, a Democrat representing Lexington and Wilmore in the State House, said, “[It] doesn’t matter about the gender stuff or your culture wars.” He followed, “You’re going to come in this chamber telling 45,000 people to vote for you because I care about small government and individual liberty, and now you’re going to tell people they can’t have their [expletive] medication because you disagree with it.”
State Sen. Karen Berg, a Democrat from Louisville who lost her transgender son to suicide in 2022, also lambasted the Senate version of the bill. “This hatred killed my child,” the senator said. “He honestly just said, ‘I will not ever find a place to fit in.'”
The bill also had a Republican dissenter in the State’s upper chamber. Sen. Danny Carroll, a Republican from Paducah, stated, “I don’t think there’s any question that the governor went too far in his executive order. However, eliminating that executive order without having some parameters in place will put children at risk in this commonwealth.”
On Thursday, March 13, a day before the bill passed the House, Beshear expressed opposition to the bill. “Conversion therapy has been discredited by every major medical organization that’s looked at it,” Beshear said. “It significantly increases the chances of suicide amongst our LGBTQ+ youth. It is equivalent of torture, and we should not be allowing it to happen here in the Commonwealth. Those are children of God that deserve our protection.”
In reference to the Medicaid part of the bill, Beshear stated “We don’t determine someone’s health care based on the politics of the day.”
Following the bill’s passage Beshear reiterated his position on the MeidasTouch Podcast. “When I vetoed the nastiest anti-LGBTQ+ bill during my election year, I explained why I did it.” He continued, “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.”
Despite his opposition to the bill, Beshear’s veto likely won’t stand. To override a veto, the legislature needs a simple majority in both chambers. With Republicans having 80% of seats in both chambers, 31 Republicans in the House, or 12 Republicans in the Senate would need to vote with all Democrats in either chamber for the veto to stand.
This is an ongoing story. For updates, visit The Asbury Collegian website at https://www.theasburycollegian.com/.
Photo courtesy of Timothy Easley.
