In a historic move, Malta has become the first European country to officially ban gay conversion therapy.

The island nation just passed the Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression Bill, which will not only do away with conversion therapy, but make its practice illegal.

According to the law, any medical professional found practicing "gay cure" therapies could incur a $5,000 fine or up to five years in jail for the most serious offenses.

The new ruling solidifies Malta's position as one of the most progressive places in the world for LGBT rights, with the Malta Chamber of Psychologists, the Maltese Association of Psychiatry, the Malta Association of Family Therapy and Systemic Practice and the Malta Association for the Counselling Profession all welcoming the news.

“[We] openly disapprove of practices that are harmful to people in our community," the group of professional bodies remarked in a joint statement.

"Not only does it reject a group of individuals on the basis of unfounded prejudice, [but the] lack of tolerance for diversity also...impinges on the international recognition of LGBTIQ rights."

“As a body, we promote respect and equality for all persons," the statement concluded. "[We] are determined to continue working toward ensuring [that] our clients...enjoy as safe a therapeutic experience as they deserve.”

In addition to Malta, there are only six other locations in the world that explicitly ban conversion therapy and they're all in the United States: Vermont, Illinois, California, Oregon, New Jersey and Washington D.C.

h/t: Pink News