WHEREAS, an individual’s sexual orientation is not a disease, disorder, illness, deficiency or shortcoming; and

WHEREAS, minors who are rejected or disowned by their families due to their sexual orientation face especially serious health risks¹; and

WHEREAS, conversion therapy is a practice aimed at changing an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression; and

WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania General Assembly House of Representatives has introduced legislation (House Bill No. 575, Printer’s No. 547) (“H.B. 575”) to prohibit mental health professionals from engaging in conversion therapy² with individuals under the age of 18 in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and

WHEREAS, according to H.B. 575, approximately 698,000 LGBTQ+ adults in the United States have reported receiving conversion therapy, with over half of those individuals being subjected to conversion therapy as minors; and

WHEREAS, conversion therapy is strongly opposed by numerous reputable medical and mental health organizations, including but not limited to the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychoanalytic Association, American Psychological Association, National Association of Social Workers, Pan American Health Organization, and the World Psychiatric Association; and

WHEREAS, the Philadelphia Bar Association is committed to protecting the rights and well-being of all individuals, and has a compelling interest in protecting the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including in protecting minors against exposure to serious harms caused by conversion therapy; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Philadelphia Bar Association strongly opposes the practice of conversion therapy on minors; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Philadelphia Bar Association endorses H.B. 575 and any other legislation like it that would prohibit the practice of conversion therapy on minors and calls upon members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass H.B. 575; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Philadelphia Bar Association authorizes the Chancellor or the Chancellor's designee to communicate the content of these Resolutions to the Governor of Pennsylvania, the members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, other public officials, other bar associations, and the public at large and to take other such action as may be appropriate.

PHILADELPHIA BAR ASSOCIATION
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
ADOPTED: June 27, 2024

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¹ In one study, lesbian, gay and bisexual young adults who reported higher levels of family rejection during adolescence were 8.4 times more likely to report having attempted suicide, 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression, 3.4 times more likely to use illegal drugs and 3.4 times more likely to report having engaged in unprotected sexual intercourse compared with peers from families that reported no or low levels of family rejection. See Ryan, Caitlin, David Huebner, Rafael Diaz & Jorge Sanchez, Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults, 123 Pediatrics 346 (2009).

² "Conversion therapy" is defined in House Bill No. 575 as “any practices or treatments by mental health professionals that seek to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, including, but not limited to, efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions, or to reduce or eliminate sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward an individual of the same gender.”