Religious fundamentalists have favored "ex-gay" therapy as way to "cure" LGBT people from their sexuality; this pseudo-science has been used with very little success for decades and has, over time, gained only disclaimers from the medical community.

Though adults can voluntarily enter these programs, children have little or no say in the matter. When learning that one of their children is LGBT, some conservative, religious parents ship them off to these places where they undergo extensive psychological "therapy" that more often than not leaves them emotionally and psychologically scarred for the rest of their lives.

Both New Jersey and California have passed statewide bans on "ex-gay" therapy for children. These have been lauded as victories for the LGBT community; however, another push to pass a similar law in New York has met opposition from within the ruling Democratic Party.

According to the New York Daily News, a bill that would ban the therapy for children is currently being debated. Introduced by Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan, the bill seeks to ban gay conversion therapy anyone being performed on any under 18 years old.

"This is an issue of abuse of kids as well as consumer fraud, where therapists are misleading parents into believing that they can 'cure' their kids," said Hoylman, who is openly gay.

On Thursday, Hoylman introduced witnesses, previous victims of this form of therapy, to the hearing reviewing the bill.

"Sending a minor to therapists who work on changing orientation is not right, it is not consensual, it is not an intervention," said Mordechai Levovitz, 35, according to the Daily News. "It is simply using professional licensure to tell perfectly healthy youth that there is something wrong with them."

However, Hoylman has seen opposition from within his own party. The Daily News reports that Sen. Ruben Diaz, D-Bronx, vehemently opposes the measure. Diaz, who also opposed the state's same-sex marriage law, stated that the government ought not to meddle in medical affairs.

"It's not for us politicians to dictate to a professional doctor what kind of medicine he should be using or what kind of treatment he should use," Diaz said.

However, the issue goes further than mere medical concerns. This form of therapy aims to fundamentally change what cannot be changed.