House Dems look to end practice of treating children for sexual orientation

Three House Democrats have introduced a resolution encouraging states to help end the practice of treating minor children for the purpose of changing their sexual orientation.

The Stop Harming Our Kids Resolution, H.Con.Res. 141, is a sense of Congress resolution that finds efforts to change the sexual orientation of minors are harmful, and should be prohibited.

It finds that "sexual orientation and gender identify or expression change efforts directed at minors are discredited and ineffective, have no legitimate therapeutic purpose, and are dangerous and harmful."

Among other things, the resolution finds that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or gender nonconforming is "not a disorder, disease, illness, deficiency, or shortcoming." It cites several studies and articles which find that "conversion" or "reparative" efforts have been found harmful to people, and that psychiatric groups have found that "homosexuality is not a mental disorder and thus is not something that needs to be or can be 'cured.' "

The resolution is sponsored by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), and co-sponsored by Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Ted Deutch (D-Fla.).

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