IV 

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 perVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:13 Dec 05, 2013 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC69.IH HC69

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ceived 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 


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•HCON 69 IH 

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 encourVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:13 Dec 05, 2013 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC69.IH HC69

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age 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 


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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 depathologization 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 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Stop Harming 

3 Our Kids Resolution of 2013’’. 

4 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING SEXUAL ORI5 ENTATION CHANGE EFFORTS DIRECTED AT 

6 MINORS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—It is the sense of Congress that 

8 sexual orientation change efforts directed at minors are 

9 discredited and ineffective, have no legitimate therapeutic 

10 purpose, and are dangerous and harmful. 

11 (b) STATE ENCOURAGEMENT.—Congress encourages 

12 each State to take steps to protect minors from efforts 

13 that promote or promise to change sexual orientation or 

14 gender identity or expression based on the premise that 

15 being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender non16 conforming is a mental illness or developmental disorder 

17 that can or should be cured. 

18 (c) SEXUAL ORIENTATION CHANGE EFFORTS DE19 FINED.—In this resolution, the term ‘‘sexual orientation 

20 change efforts’’ means any practice by a licensed mental 

21 health provider, health care provider, or counselor that 

22 seeks or purports to impose change of an individual’s sex23 ual orientation or gender identity or expression, including 

24 reducing or eliminating sexual or romantic attractions or 

25 feelings toward a person of the same gender and efforts 


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1 to change behaviors, gender identity, or gender expression. 

2 Such term does not include counseling that— 

3 (1)(A) provides acceptance, support, and under4 standing of a person; 

5 (B) facilitates a person’s coping, social support, 

6 and identity exploration and development; 

7 (C) provides developmentally appropriate coun8 seling for a person seeking to transition from one 

9 gender to another; or 

10 (D) provides sexual orientation- and gender 

11 identity-neutral interventions to prevent or address 

12 unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices; and 

13 (2) does not seek to change sexual orientation 

14 or gender identity or expression. 

Æ 


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