Michigan bans conversion therapy for minors
Conversion therapy, a scientifically discredited and dangerous practice that attempts to change a person's sexuality or gender identity, has been banned in Michigan for minors. The legislation was signed July 26 by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Michigan is the 22nd state to place a ban on conversion therapy — there are 28 that have yet to do so.

Protecting LGBTQ+ rights seems to have become a focus of Michigan's government since Democrats became the majority in its house and senate. Whitmer is mother to an LGBTQ+ community member, and she also signed a 2021 executive directive that stopped the state from using federal funds for conversion therapy on minors. This March, legislators codified LGBTQ+ protections in the state's civil rights act, which makes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity illegal.

According to the Trevor Project, 45% of LGBTQ+ youth in Michigan have seriously considered suicide in the past year and 15% reported being threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy.

How many Intersex people are there in the US?
There is generally little data about the number of US residents who are Intersex, which means that lawmakers pass legislation without the same kind of information they have for other demographic groups.

Advocacy groups mostly agree that 1.7% of US residents, or 5.6 million people, are born Intersex. The estimate comes from a review in the American Journal of Human Biology and is based on medical literature published between 1955 and 1998.

It's hard to come to an exact number, however, because some Intersex people might not know they are Intersex until puberty or later — particularly when treating infertility or undergoing other medical procedures. People who were born with Intersex traits may have had surgery in infancy — without their knowledge or consent — in an attempt to make their bodies conform to supposed male or female norms. Erika Lorshbough, executive director of InterACT, an advocacy group for children with Intersex traits, says some people will never know that they're Intersex.

"There are plenty of folks with variations in sex characteristics who don't identify as Intersex, and these issues impact them equally. It's all about consent and autonomy," Lorshbough said.

Hospitals are not required to track how many infants are born with Intersex traits, Lorshbough says, and government agencies that usually collect demographic information haven't put out a nationwide survey.

The lack of data leads to legislation that doesn't consider Intersex folks. One Kansas law defines a person's sex as either male or female, ignoring Intersex people (and Non-Binary people) entirely. New legislation on gender-affirming care can also cause confusion surrounding liability for medical practitioners.