[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 109 (Thursday, June 27, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4631-S4632]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Mr. Booker, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. 
        Blumenthal, Mr. Brown, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Ms. 
        Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. 
        Harris, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Markey, Mr. Menendez, 
        Mr. Merkley, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Reed, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Sanders, Mr. 
        Schatz, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Sinema, Ms. Smith, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. 
        Van Hollen, Ms. Warren, Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Wyden):
  S. 2008. A bill to prohibit, as an unfair or deceptive act or 
practice, commercial sexual orientation conversion therapy, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, half a century ago, members of the 
LGBTQIA+ community, who were tired of being accosted and abused and 
assaulted just because of who they were or whom they loved, took a 
stand to say ``enough is enough'' and pushed back against the forces of 
history that said they were anything less than.
  Thanks to the sacrifice of freedom fighters like Marsha P. Johnson, 
Sylvia Rivera, and so many others both named and unnamed who dared that 
day to live their entire truth, countless others today have been set 
free. Now, 50 years later, through dogged persistence and sacrifice, we 
have been able to pass laws and create policies that respect and 
protect members of the LGBTQIA+ community--from challenging hateful 
bans against lesbian and gay relationships, to securing landmark civil 
rights protections against hate crimes, to, finally, making marriage 
equality the law of our land.
  This year, as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall 
protests that sparked the modern movement for LGBTQ equality, I am very 
proud to stand here on the floor of the Senate as an unapologetic ally 
for this vibrant community.
  As we close out this month's annual celebration of Pride, I come to 
the floor today to reintroduce legislation to further protect gay, 
lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and gender 
nonconforming individuals from the dogma of our Nation's homophobic and 
transphobic past because, even as we reflect on the progress we have 
made, we have a lot more to do to achieve equality.
  In the Senate, I have been very proud to stand shoulder to shoulder 
with the community in Washington State and around the country in order 
to continue our progress and work to expand protections to help members 
of the community thrive, from our efforts to reduce bullying and 
harassment at colleges and universities through legislation named after 
Tyler Clementi--a student who tragically died by suicide in college--to 
reducing the epidemic of harassment and discrimination in workplaces 
through the Be HEARD Act, which is a bill I recently introduced that 
would hold businesses accountable for harassment and discrimination, 
give workers the resources and support they need to seek justice, and 
clarify that discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and 
gender identity are unlawful under the Civil Rights Act.
  I am very grateful to my colleague Senator Booker and our friend 
Representative Lieu for joining me today in reintroducing the 
Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act--the first Federal ban on so-called 
conversion therapy--because, in 2019, we know that being a member of 
the LGBTQIA+ community isn't an affliction, a disease, or some chronic 
condition that requires medical treatment; rather, the politicians who 
say it is are on the wrong side of history.
  In fact, we know that conversion therapy is a painful and 
discriminatory practice. The American Psychological Association has 
said it ``is unlikely to be successful in changing someone's sexual 
orientation'' and would ``involve some risk of harm'' contrary to the 
claims of practitioners and advocates. It is also a practice that is 
especially harmful to LGBTQIA+ children, who we already know are 
vulnerable to increased harassment and discrimination because of who 
they are.
  I am proud that my home State of Washington has already banned 
conversion therapy, but that is not enough so long as any child or any 
person in our country can be harmed by this sham practice. That is why 
I am very proud to be here to reintroduce the Therapeutic Fraud 
Prevention Act and to remind all of our friends that we stand with them 
throughout history and throughout the future to make sure they are 
protected with their rights.
  The Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act is legislation that would 
classify conversion therapy as the fraudulent practice our communities 
and science know it is. It would clarify in our Nation's laws that 
providing or facilitating commercial conversion therapy or facilitating 
or advertising such services is an unfair and deceptive practice, and 
it would ensure that Federal regulators and State attorneys general 
have the ability and authority to enforce this ban.
  We have come far in our long battle for LGBTQIA+ equality, and I am 
ready to get to work to get this important legislation over the finish 
line because, after 50 years of struggle, as a nation, we have come to 
know that love is love and that love wins. However, after 50 years, we 
also know it gets better but only if we work to make it so.
  From the horrors of the Pulse massacre, to the ever-climbing number 
of murdered African-American and Latinx transgender women, to President 
Trump's transgender military ban and his administration's continuous 
assault on LGBTQIA+ rights, so many of the challenges that face the 
community today mirror the critical struggles they faced all those 
years ago at the Stonewall Inn. Like then, too many in the community 
are still threatened by even greater danger because they are also 
women, transgender, people of color, poor, and the list goes on.

[[Page S4632]]

  That is why this legislation and recognitions like Pride Month are so 
important. All month, I have been thrilled to see the photos from Pride 
celebrations back in Washington State--from Spokane, to Yakima, to 
Olympia--filled with so much cheer, resilience, and strength, only to 
come back here to Washington and argue in this Chamber about why we 
shouldn't confirm people to judicial or executive posts who don't 
believe in the full humanity and equality of so many of our family 
members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.
  It is obvious that this work is still very important, and we have it 
cut out for us, but I remain hopeful because I have seen how far we 
have come in just 50 years. By continuing to honor the righteous 
tradition of Marsha, Sylvia, and so many others by raising our voices 
against injustice and taking key steps like this legislation to make 
life easier for the next generation of LGBTQIA+ Americans, I know we 
will see even more progress in the next 50 years.
                                 ______