Gov. Jerry Brown (D-Calif.) will have the final say as to whether a state Senate bill that bans the practice of gay-conversion therapy becomes law.

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ver the weekend, California became the first state to ban a controversial therapy that purports to "cure" gay and lesbian teenagers of their homosexuality. The so-called gay conversion therapy, or "reparative therapy," has been criticized as ineffective and harmful, and a long list of medical and psychological groups backed California's law, which takes effect Jan. 1. The new law prohibits any "mental health adviser" from trying to change a minor's sexual orientation. "These practices have no basis in science or medicine, and they will now be relegated to the dustbin of quackery," said Gov. Jerry Brown (D) upon signing the bill.