[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 69 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 69

    Expressing the sense of Congress that efforts by mental health 
practitioners to change an individual's sexual orientation is dangerous 
  and harmful and should be prohibited from being practiced on minors.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 4, 2013

 Ms. Speier (for herself, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Deutch, Mr. Ellison, Mr. 
Grijalva, Mr. Keating, Mr. Moran, Ms. Tsongas, Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney 
of New York, Ms. Schwartz, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. McGovern, Ms. McCollum, 
 Mr. Pocan, Mrs. Davis of California, and Mr. Lowenthal) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
    Expressing the sense of Congress that efforts by mental health 
practitioners to change an individual's sexual orientation is dangerous 
  and harmful and should be prohibited from being practiced on minors.

Whereas being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender nonconforming is 
        not a disorder, disease, illness, deficiency, or shortcoming;
Whereas the American Psychological Association's 2008 resolution on Transgender, 
        Gender Identity, and Gender Expression Non-discrimination states that 
        ``discrimination and prejudice against people based on their actual or 
        perceived gender identity or expression detrimentally affects 
        psychological, physical, social, and economic well-being'';
Whereas the development of all children and adolescents into healthy and 
        productive adults is a national priority and ending prejudice and 
        injustice based on sexual orientation and gender nonconformity is a 
        human rights issue;
Whereas the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, 
        the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological 
        Association, the American School Counselor Association, the National 
        Association of School Psychologists, and the National Association of 
        Social Workers, together representing more than 480,000 health and 
        mental health professionals, have all taken the position that 
        homosexuality is not a mental disorder and thus is not something that 
        needs to be or can be ``cured'';
Whereas the American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric 
        Association, National Association of Social Workers, American Counseling 
        Association Governing Council, and American Psychoanalytic Association 
        have not found ``sexual orientation change efforts to be safe or 
        effective'';
Whereas the American Psychological Association's 2009 resolution on Appropriate 
        Affirmative Responses to Sexual Orientation Distress and Change Efforts 
        ``concludes there is insufficient evidence to support the use of 
        psychological interventions to change sexual orientation'';
Whereas the American Psychiatric Association has opposed since 2000 ``any 
        psychiatric treatment, such as `reparative' or conversion therapy, which 
        is based upon the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental 
        disorder or based upon the a priori assumption that a patient should 
        change his/her homosexual orientation'';
Whereas the American Psychological Association's Task Force on Appropriate 
        Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation's systematic review of peer-
        reviewed journal literature on sexual orientation change efforts 
        concluded that ``attempts to change sexual orientation may cause or 
        exacerbate distress and poor mental health in some individuals, 
        including depression and suicidal thoughts'';
Whereas the American Psychological Association issued a resolution on 
        Appropriate Affirmative Responses to Sexual Orientation Distress and 
        Change Efforts in 2009 advising parents, guardians, young people, and 
        their families ``to avoid sexual orientation change efforts that portray 
        homosexuality as a mental illness or developmental disorder and to seek 
        psychotherapy, social support, and educational services that provide 
        accurate information on sexual orientation and sexuality, increase 
        family and school support, and reduce rejection of sexual minority 
        youth'';
Whereas the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry published a 
        practice principles in 2012 in the Journal of the American Academy of 
        Child and Adolescent Psychiatry stating Principle 6: ``Clinicians should 
        be aware that there is no evidence that sexual orientation can be 
        altered through therapy, and that attempts to do so may be harmful,'' 
        and finding that ``There is no empirical evidence adult homosexuality 
        can be prevented if gender nonconforming children are influenced to be 
        more gender conforming. Indeed, there is no medically valid basis for 
        attempting to prevent homosexuality, which is not an illness. On the 
        contrary, such efforts may encourage family rejection and undermine 
        self-esteem, connectedness and caring, important protective factors 
        against suicidal ideation and attempts. . . . Given that there is no 
        evidence that efforts to alter sexual orientation are effective, 
        beneficial or necessary, and the possibility that they carry the risk of 
        significant harm, such interventions are contraindicated.'';
Whereas the National Association of Social Workers prepared a 1997 policy 
        statement in which it stated ``Social stigmatization of lesbian, gay and 
        bisexual people is widespread and is a primary motivating factor in 
        leading some people to seek sexual orientation changes. Sexual 
        orientation conversion therapies assume that homosexual orientation is 
        both pathological and freely chosen. No data demonstrates that 
        reparative or conversion therapies are effective, and, in fact, they may 
        be harmful.'';
Whereas the American Counseling Association Governing Council issued a position 
        statement in April of 1999 in which it stated ``We oppose the promotion 
        of `reparative therapy' as a `cure' for individuals who are 
        homosexual.'';
Whereas the American Psychoanalytic Association updated its position statement 
        in June 2012, on attempts to change sexual orientation, gender, 
        identity, or gender expression, and in the statement the association 
        states ``As with any societal prejudice, bias against individuals based 
        on actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or gender 
        expression negatively affects mental health, contributing to an enduring 
        sense of stigma and pervasive self-criticism through the internalization 
        of such prejudice. Psychoanalytic technique does not encompass 
        purposeful attempts to `convert', `repair', and change or shift an 
        individual's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. 
        Such directed efforts are against fundamental principles of 
        psychoanalytic treatment and often result in substantial psychological 
        pain by reinforcing damaging internalized attitudes.'';
Whereas in 2010, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health 
        released a statement urging the de-pathologization of gender variance in 
        which it states ``The expression of gender characteristics, including 
        identities, that are not stereotypically associated with one's assigned 
        sex at birth is a common and culturally diverse human phenomenon which 
        should not be judged as inherently pathological or negative.'';
Whereas research by Caitlyn Ryan et al. entitled ``Family Rejection as a 
        Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay, 
        and Bisexual Adults'' published in 2009, found that certain young people 
        experienced sexual orientation change efforts as a form of rejection, 
        and that minors who experience family rejection based on their sexual 
        orientation face especially serious health risks and that such youth 
        were 8.4 times more likely to report having attempted suicide, 5.9 times 
        more likely to report high levels of depression, and 3.4 times more 
        likely to use illegal drugs compared with peers from families that 
        reported no or low levels of family rejection; and
Whereas several States have enacted or are considering legislation and other 
        measures to prohibit sexual orientation change efforts in children and 
        adolescents: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``Stop Harming Our Kids 
Resolution of 2013''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING SEXUAL ORIENTATION CHANGE EFFORTS 
              DIRECTED AT MINORS.

    (a) In General.--It is the sense of Congress that sexual 
orientation change efforts directed at minors are discredited and 
ineffective, have no legitimate therapeutic purpose, and are dangerous 
and harmful.
    (b) State Encouragement.--Congress encourages each State to take 
steps to protect minors from efforts that promote or promise to change 
sexual orientation or gender identity or expression based on the 
premise that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender 
nonconforming is a mental illness or developmental disorder that can or 
should be cured.
    (c) Sexual Orientation Change Efforts Defined.--In this resolution, 
the term ``sexual orientation change efforts'' means any practice by a 
licensed mental health provider, health care provider, or counselor 
that seeks or purports to impose change of an individual's sexual 
orientation or gender identity or expression, including reducing or 
eliminating sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward a person 
of the same gender and efforts to change behaviors, gender identity, or 
gender expression. Such term does not include counseling that--
            (1)(A) provides acceptance, support, and understanding of a 
        person;
            (B) facilitates a person's coping, social support, and 
        identity exploration and development;
            (C) provides developmentally appropriate counseling for a 
        person seeking to transition from one gender to another; or
            (D) provides sexual orientation- and gender identity-
        neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or 
        unsafe sexual practices; and
            (2) does not seek to change sexual orientation or gender 
        identity or expression.
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