We DID IT! Conversion therapy is banned for minors in Hawaii! Today, Friday, May 25, 2018 Governor David Ige signed SB 270 into law in a public signing ceremony! The law goes into effect upon signing and it creates a taskforce to ensure the LGBTQIA youth are able to access mental health services. Aloha - The LGBT Caucus of Democratic Party of Hawai'i would like to say MAHALO NUI LOA to Senator Stanley Chang, Senator Roz Baker and Senator Karl Rhoads for introducing SB 270. We also want to thank our wonderful coalition partners (see below) and individual supporters, without their support this law would not have been possible. We also want to say MAHALO to Governor Ige for giving SB 270 a public signing. In doing so he is helping spread the word that there is no place in Hawai'i for this abhorrent practice. By banning conversion therapy in the Aloha State, it does two great things at once. First it ensures that LGBTQIA youth will not be tortured by licensed medical health professionals. Secondly it sends the message loud and clear to LGBTQIA youth that there is nothing wrong with their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, they were born perfect and this message will save lives. This is because LGBTQIA youth have the highest suicide rate amongst youth demographics in America, 3 to 4 times the suicide rate of their straight cis-gender peers. The LGBT Caucus would like to dedicate this law to all the survivors of ‘conversion therapy’, as well those that did not survive this barbaric practice. We hope that the rest of the 38 states in our country will follow suit and soon because lives are at stake. Michael Golojuch, Jr. Chair LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai'i We are 12 states down and 38 more to go – we can do this! Hopefully you will want to stay involved and here are a couple of different ways to do that: In Hawaii: Join the LGBT Caucus, Hawaii’s only LGBTQIA political or legislative organization, by clicking here: https://goo.gl/forms/oHX85ViWpmitY2Iq1 Make a donation to the LGBT Caucus to help us continue our work: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/hilgbt Bookmark our website: www.lgbtcaucushawaii.com Nationally: Join the National Center for Lesbian Rights – Born Perfect campaign: www.BornPerfect.com This is their campaign dedicated to end conversion therapy