[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 36 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 36

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 14, 2015

  Ms. Speier (for herself, Ms. Bass, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Brownley of 
  California, Mrs. Davis of California, Ms. DelBene, Mr. Deutch, Mr. 
Ellison, Ms. Esty, Mr. Farr, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Gutieerrez, Mr. Higgins, 
    Mr. Honda, Mr. Kildee, Ms. Lee, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Mr. 
  Lowenthal, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. McDermott, Ms. 
   McCollum, Mr. Murphy of Florida, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Peters, Mr. 
Pocan, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Sires, Mr. Smith of 
Washington, Mr. Takano, Ms. Tsongas, Ms. Velaazquez, Mr. Welch, and Mr. 
 Sean Patrick Maloney of New York) submitted the following concurrent 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of Congress that conversion therapy, including 
efforts by mental health practitioners to change an individual's sexual 
 orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, 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 ``conversion therapy to be safe or effective'';
Whereas the American School Counselor Association's 2014 statement on the 
        Professional School Counselor and LGBT Youth clarifies that 
        ``professional school counselors do not support efforts by licensed 
        mental health professionals to change a student's sexual orientation or 
        gender identity as these practices have been proven ineffective and 
        harmful'';
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 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 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 conversion therapy as a form of family 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 conversion therapy 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 2015''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING CONVERSION THERAPY DIRECTED AT 
              MINORS.

    (a) In General.--It is the sense of Congress that conversion 
therapy directed at minors is discredited and ineffective, has no 
legitimate therapeutic purpose, and is 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, gender identity, or gender 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) Conversion Therapy Defined.--In this resolution, the term 
``conversion therapy'' 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, gender identity, 
or gender 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 undergoing gender transition; 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, gender 
        identity, or gender expression.
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