FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear banned the use of “conversion therapy” on minors in Kentucky on Wednesday, calling his executive order a necessary step to protect children from a widely discredited practice that tries to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling.

Kentucky on Wednesday joined nearly two dozen states in banning the discredited anti-LGBTQ practice of "conversion therapy" as Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive action into law.