Youth's Lives Every Day
New law codifies two-part attack on LGBTQ+ residents: undoing the governor’s protections against conversion ‘therapy’ and restricting medical care for transgender people
March 24, 2025 – In Kentucky, state lawmakers have passed HB 495 to undo the governor’s statewide protections against the dangerous and discredited practice of so-called “conversion therapy” and eliminate the use of Medicaid funds to support essential medical care for transgender and nonbinary people of all ages. The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people, released the following statement in response:
Statement from Tanner Mobley (he/him), Manager of State Advocacy and Conversion Therapy Campaigns:
“No amount of legislation or campaigns from anti-LGBTQ+ special interest groups can change the reality that a gay person is gay, or a transgender person is transgender. The fact that lawmakers, in 2025, are protecting a dangerous and debunked practice like conversion therapy is deeply concerning. New data from The Trevor Project found that 94% of LGBTQ+ youth in Kentucky reported that recent politics negatively impacted their well-being. It has also been shown that anti-transgender state laws – such as this one – directly cause an increase in suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary youth by as much as 72%.
This bill only serves to harm LGBTQ+ people across the Commonwealth – and isolate them even further. Lawmakers ought to focus on addressing issues that make the lives of everyday Kentuckians better, such as the cost of living, housing, health care, and job security. We urge lawmakers who voted for this legislation to talk directly to their constituents and families who will be harmed by this law, reconsider their position, and recommit themselves to protecting the health and safety of all young people in the Commonwealth.”
Relevant research:
- The Trevor Project’s new research on the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people living in Kentucky found:
- 43% of LGBTQ+ youth in Kentucky seriously considered suicide in the past year, and 14% made an attempt.
- 62% of LGBTQ+ youth in Kentucky experienced discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity in the past year.
- 18% of LGBTQ+ youth in Kentucky were threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy.
- 94% of LGBTQ+ youth in Kentucky said that recent politics negatively impacted their well-being.
- The Trevor Project’s peer-reviewed research shows that youth who experienced conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide and more than 2.5 times as likely to report multiple suicide attempts in the past year.
- Nationally, The Trevor Project found that 13% of LGBTQ+ young people had been threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy. This rate is 5% lower than what LGBTQ+ youth living in Kentucky reported in the same year.
- A 2024 peer-reviewed study published in Nature Human Behaviour found that anti-transgender state laws directly caused an increase in suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary youth by up to 72%.
- Conversion therapy has been associated with an extensive list of long-lasting social and emotional consequences, including: depression, anxiety, suicidality, substance abuse, a range of post-traumatic responses, loss of connection to community, damaged familial relationships, self-blame, guilt, and shame.
- Conversion therapy and its associated harms – such as substance abuse and negative mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts – cost an estimated $9.23 billion in the U.S. annually.
- While an overwhelming 90% of LGBTQ+ young people said recent politics negatively impacted their well-being, when asked, 79% of LGBTQ+ youth said hearing about potential state and local laws trying to ban conversion therapy made them feel better.
- The Trevor Project released a report in December 2023 that identified more than 1,300 active conversion therapy practitioners across the U.S.
If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Project’s trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.
