In Support of Banning Conversion Therapy
Adopted at the 87th Annual Meeting in 2019
WHEREAS, "Conversion therapy" means any practices or treatments that seek to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender; and
WHEREAS, conversion therapy has been rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organization, including the American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Counseling Association, American Psychoanalytic Association, American School Counselor Association, American School Health Association, National Association of Social Workers, and the Pan American Health Organization; and
WHEREAS, a national poll found that a majority of United States citizens believe that the use of conversion therapy on youth should be illegal; and
WHEREAS, the Williams Institute estimates that 698,000 LGBTQ adults in the United States have been subject to conversion therapy practices to change their sexual orientation or gender identity at some point in their lives, including approximately 350,000 who were adolescents; and
WHEREAS, conversion therapy leads to critical health risks including anxiety, depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, homelessness, and suicide; and
WHEREAS, minors are especially vulnerable to the harms associated with conversion therapy; and
WHEREAS, The United States Conference of Mayors has a compelling interest in protecting the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, and in protecting its minors against exposure to serious harms caused by conversion therapy; and
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports the complete ban of conversion therapy across all 50 states; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors urges elected leaders to ban the practice of conversion therapy in their respective states and localities.