Wisconsin just took a major step toward protecting LGBTQ+ youth by allowing a statewide ban on conversion therapy to take effect. Kansas, meanwhile, remains one of the states where this dangerous practice is still legal. That must change.

Conversion therapy isn’t care—it’s cruelty. And the harm it causes is staggering.

According to The Trevor Project, LGBTQ+ youth who undergo conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide, and over 2.5 times as likely to attempt multiple times in a single year. Even being threatened with the practice puts young people at serious mental health risk.

In 2024, 13% of LGBTQ+ youth reported being threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy—and in Kansas, that threat is still legal.

This isn't just a human rights crisis. A peer-reviewed study in JAMA Pediatrics found that the trauma and health consequences associated with conversion therapy cost the U.S. over $9.2 billion annually in mental health and substance abuse treatment. That’s money spent trying to heal wounds that should never have been inflicted.

Kansas cities like Roeland Park and Lawrence have stepped up with local bans. But protections shouldn’t depend on your ZIP code. Every LGBTQ+ youth in Kansas deserves safety—no matter where they live.

We call on the Kansas Legislature to pass a full statewide ban on conversion therapy. Let’s catch up with the states that have already acted—and finally protect all young people from this deeply harmful practice.

Make it law. Make it permanent. End conversion therapy in Kansas now.

Photo: Guy Bell/Rex/Shutterstock