III 

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 


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•SRES 184 IS 

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 

1 Resolved, 

2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

4 Our Kids Resolution of 2015’’. 


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•SRES 184 IS 

1 SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING CONVERSION 

2 THERAPY DIRECTED AT MINORS. 

3 (a) CONVERSION THERAPY DEFINED.—In this reso4 lution, the term ‘‘conversion therapy’’— 

5 (1) means any practice by a licensed, certified, 

6 or registered mental health provider, health care 

7 provider, or counselor that seeks or purports to im8 pose change of the sexual orientation, gender iden9 tity, or gender expression of an individual, including 

10 reducing or eliminating sexual or romantic attrac11 tions or feelings toward an individual of the same 

12 gender and efforts to change behaviors, gender iden13 tity, or gender expression; and 

14 (2) does not include counseling— 

15 (A) that— 

16 (i) provides acceptance, support, and 

17 understanding of an individual; 

18 (ii) facilitates the coping, social sup19 port, and identity exploration and develop20 ment of an individual; 

21 (iii) provides developmentally appro22 priate counseling for an individual under23 going gender transition; or 

24 (iv) provides sexual orientation- and 

25 gender identity-neutral interventions to 


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•SRES 184 IS 

1 prevent or address unlawful conduct or un2 safe sexual practices; and 

3 (B) that does not seek to change sexual 

4 orientation, gender identity, or gender expres5 sion. 

6 (b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the 

7 Senate that conversion therapy directed at minors is dis8 credited and ineffective, has no legitimate therapeutic pur9 pose, and is dangerous and harmful. 

10 (c) STATE ENCOURAGEMENT.—The Senate encour11 ages each State to take steps to protect minors from ef12 forts that promote or promise to change sexual orienta13 tion, gender identity, or gender expression based on the 

14 premise that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or 

15 gender nonconforming is a mental illness or developmental 

16 disorder that can or should be cured. 

Æ 


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