Cooper blocks using state funds for conversion therapy

"Conversion therapy has been shown to pose serious health risks," Cooper said in a statement. "I'm proud to sign this order, and I will continue working to build an inclusive North Carolina that is welcoming and safe."

Eighteen states have already banned conversion therapy, which can involve electric shock treatment, sleep deprivation and starving LGBT youth to encourage them to adopt a heterosexual lifestyle.

"It is the policy of the Office of the Governor and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services ... to ensure that state and federal funds that are allocated to DHHS and earmarked for medical and mental health care are not used to provide services that have been rejected as ineffective and unsafe by respected medical and mental health organizations," the executive order states. "State and federal funds allocated to DHHS are used only for effective therapeutic services that are supported by credible evidence and medical experts."

Research has shown conversion therapy doesn't work, and every major medical group in the country has disavowed the practice, according to Kendra Johnson, executive director of LGBT advocacy group Equality North Carolina. Studies also have shown that LGBT children subjected to it face double the risk for suicide.

"It’s gratifying to see Governor Cooper take this critical step in the right direction," Johnson said in a statement. "No child should be told that they must change their sexual orientation or gender identity; we’re grateful that Gov. Cooper agrees. We are committed to ending this debunked practice and will work for statewide protections."

Cooper's order includes barring money from the state's Medicaid program for conversion therapy services.

Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the conservative North Carolina Values Coalition, blasted the move, saying the "sex talk executive order" infringes on people's religious and free speech rights.