[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 184 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 184

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 21, 2015

   Mr. Booker (for himself, Mr. Brown, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Markey, Mr. 
  Franken, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Shaheen, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Wyden, Mr. 
  Whitehouse, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Warren, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Schumer, Mr. 
Heinrich, Mr. Merkley, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Udall, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Stabenow, 
  Mr. Peters, Mr. Casey, Mr. Schatz, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. 
 Durbin) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate that conversion therapy, including 
      efforts by mental health practitioners to change the sexual 
orientation, gender identity, or gender expression of an individual, 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 development of all children and adolescents into healthy and 
        productive adults is a priority of the United States and ending 
        prejudice and injustice based on sexual orientation, gender identity, 
        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, the American Psychiatric 
        Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American 
        Counseling Association Governing Council, and the American 
        Psychoanalytic Association have not found conversion therapy to be safe 
        or effective;
Whereas several States have enacted or are considering legislation and other 
        measures to prohibit conversion therapy in children and adolescents; and
Whereas enacted State legislation to prohibit conversion therapy in children and 
        adolescents has been upheld as constitutional: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``Stop Harming Our Kids 
Resolution of 2015''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING CONVERSION THERAPY DIRECTED AT 
              MINORS.

    (a) Conversion Therapy Defined.--In this resolution, the term 
``conversion therapy''--
            (1) means any practice by a licensed, certified, or 
        registered mental health provider, health care provider, or 
        counselor that seeks or purports to impose change of the sexual 
        orientation, gender identity, or gender expression of an 
        individual, including reducing or eliminating sexual or 
        romantic attractions or feelings toward an individual of the 
        same gender and efforts to change behaviors, gender identity, 
        or gender expression; and
            (2) does not include counseling--
                    (A) that--
                            (i) provides acceptance, support, and 
                        understanding of an individual;
                            (ii) facilitates the coping, social 
                        support, and identity exploration and 
                        development of an individual;
                            (iii) provides developmentally appropriate 
                        counseling for an individual undergoing gender 
                        transition; or
                            (iv) provides sexual orientation- and 
                        gender identity-neutral interventions to 
                        prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe 
                        sexual practices; and
                    (B) that does not seek to change sexual 
                orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
    (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that 
conversion therapy directed at minors is discredited and ineffective, 
has no legitimate therapeutic purpose, and is dangerous and harmful.
    (c) State Encouragement.--The Senate 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.
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