Congressional Democrats Seek Ban on Conversion Therapy

metroweekly.com:

Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) in the House of Representatives and Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in the Senate, seeks to outlaw the practice of conversion therapy for all Americans — not just minors, as 22 state-level bans do.

The bill would make it illegal for any person — not just licensed medical providers — to provide conversion therapy to any individual, to advertise conversion therapy services claiming to successfully change another individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, or assist in providing conversion therapy by referring people to practitioners in exchange for compensation.If passed, the bill would also define conversion therapy — or advertisements claiming that it changes one’s identity, reduces sexual or romantic attractions to individuals of the same sex, or purports that such efforts pose no risk to people’s well-being —  as an “unfair or deceptive act or practice” under the Federal Trade Commission Act.Under the proposed law, state attorneys general would be allowed to sue practitioners if they believe conversion therapy — or the advertisement of conversion therapy — is having a detrimental impact on the residents of their state.In a press release issued on Monday, the sponsors of the bill asserted that the premise behind conversion therapy — that one can change one’s sexual orientation or gender identity or reduce their feelings of attraction by undergoing the therapy — is based on “bunk science” and may have long-term negative psychological or emotional impacts on those subjected to it.“Conversion therapy is a harmful sham that hurts LGBTQIA+ youth and turns a profit for scammers posing as mental health professionals,”.