IV 
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 orienta-
tion, 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. GUTIE´RREZ, Mr. 
HIGGINS, Mr. HONDA, Mr. KILDEE, Ms. LEE, Mr. TED LIEU of Cali-
fornia, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. 
MCDERMOTT, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MURPHY of Florida, Mrs. NAPOLI-
TANO, Mr. PETERS, Mr. POCAN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. 
SHERMAN, Mr. SIRES, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. 
TSONGAS, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. WELCH, and Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALO-
NEY 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, defi-
ciency, or shortcoming; 
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Whereas the American Psychological Association’s 2008 reso-
lution on Transgender, Gender Identity, and Gender Ex-
pression Non-discrimination states that ‘‘discrimination 
and prejudice against people based on their actual or per-
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 Asso-
ciation, the American Psychological Association, the 
American School Counselor Association, the National As-
sociation of School Psychologists, and the National Asso-
ciation 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 coun-
selors 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 inef-
fective and harmful’’; 
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•HCON 36 IH 
Whereas the American Psychiatric Association has opposed 
since 2000 ‘‘any psychiatric treatment, such as ‘repar-
ative’ or conversion therapy, which is based upon the as-
sumption 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 Psy-
chiatry published a practice principles in 2012 in the 
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adoles-
cent 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 em-
pirical 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 encour-
age family rejection and undermine self-esteem, connect-
edness and caring, important protective factors against 
suicidal ideation and attempts. . . . Given that there is 
no evidence that efforts to alter sexual orientation are ef-
fective, 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 ex-
pression, 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, 
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•HCON 36 IH 
contributing to an enduring sense of stigma and perva-
sive 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 fun-
damental principles of psychoanalytic treatment and 
often result in substantial psychological pain by rein-
forcing 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 iden-
tities, 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 inher-
ently pathological or negative.’’; 
Whereas research by Caitlyn Ryan et al. entitled ‘‘Family Re-
jection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in 
White and Latino Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults’’ 
published in 2009, found that certain young people expe-
rienced 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 legis-
lation and other measures to prohibit conversion therapy 
in children and adolescents: Now, therefore, be it 
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•HCON 36 IH 
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, gen-
der identity, or gender expression based on the premise 
that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender 
nonconforming is a mental illness or developmental dis-
order that can or should be cured. 
(c) CONVERSION THERAPY DEFINED.—In this reso-
lution, 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 gen-
der expression, including reducing or eliminating sexual 
or romantic attractions or feelings toward a person of the 
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same gender and efforts to change behaviors, gender iden-
tity, or gender expression. Such term does not include 
counseling that— 
(1)(A) provides acceptance, support, and under-
standing of a person; 
(B) facilitates a person’s coping, social support, 
and identity exploration and development; 
(C) provides developmentally appropriate coun-
seling 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. 
Æ 
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