Legislation to stop licensed mental health professionals from conducting conversion therapy with minors made it out of the Michigan House this week.
Conversion therapy is the medically discredited practice of trying to change someone's sexuality or gender identity.
Still, Republican Representative Curt VanderWall says the bills go further than banning harmful practices.
"It creates an environment that discourages honest and frank conversations about really important and complicated issues," he says.
But Democratic Representative Felicia Brabec says there might be a conflation of issues at play.
"We are trying to stop this very, again, damaging, menacing, unethical practice and our kids from being impacted by that," she says.
The bills passed along party lines.
