Massachusetts fails to ban therapy for unwanted gay attractions before August deadline
Treatment for unwanted homosexual attraction will remain legal in Massachusetts for the time being, with legislation to ban it failing to pass by the August 1 end of the current legislative session. H.4664 would have banned healthcare providers from performing any practice on a minor that “attempts or purports to impose a change of an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” with penalties up to and including suspension or revocation of their medical licenses. It passed the state House of Representatives in June, but not without being amended to remove a provision that would have required teachers and doctors to report hearing about conversion-therapy efforts to social services, the New Boston Post reports . Critics feared the passage could have potentially led to the state taking children away from their parents. The Senate failed to take up the bill until July 31, at which point it passed the older, un-amended version of the bill. The two chambers were unable