With 49 votes in favor, 9 against, and 5 abstentions, the plenary session of the Mexico City Congress, approved the reform to the Penal Code to punish anyone who practices conversion therapies that use violent methods that threaten a person’s integrity

This reform to Article 206 of the Penal Code that mentions “the criminalization of contracts, treatments, therapies or services, tasks, or activities that pretend to correct the sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression that undermines free self-determination.”

Those who force people to practice these therapies will be punished with two to five years in prison, in addition to 50 to 100 community work hours and the Mexico City Attorney General’s Office will have to prosecute them for grievance. These sentences will be aggravated when the crime involves a minor and thus the Mexico City Attorney General will prosecute them ex officio. Read more via El Universal