Text of IL SR 10 (2025)

SR0010LRB104 06047 ECR 16080 r 1SENATE RESOLUTION 2 WHEREAS, Conversion therapy, also known as reparative 3therapy, is a practice that falsely claims to change an 4individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender 5expression through psychological or physical intervention; and 6 WHEREAS, Conversion therapy has been discredited by every 7major medical and mental health organization, including the 8American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological 9Association, and the American Medical Association; and 10 WHEREAS, Conversion therapy has been linked to long-term 11mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and 12suicidal ideation, and these are all issues that 13disproportionately affect the LGBTQ+ community; and 14 WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly passed the Youth 15Mental Health Protection Act in 2015 to prohibit licensed 16professionals from engaging in conversion therapy with minors 17and to safeguard Illinois youth from practices that have been 18scientifically proven to cause emotional and psychological 19harm, including increased risks of depression, anxiety, 20self-harm, and suicide among LGBTQ+ individuals; and 21 WHEREAS, The year 2025 marks the 10-year anniversary of SR0010- 2 -LRB104 06047 ECR 16080 r 1this landmark piece of legislation that demonstrates Illinois' 2leadership in the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights; and 3 WHEREAS, Despite significant progress, the practice of 4conversion therapy still exists throughout Illinois and 5continues to falsely advertise itself as a legitimate 6therapeutic intervention, often targeting vulnerable LGBTQ+ 7adults; and 8 WHEREAS, Although Illinois recognizes the harms caused by 9conversion therapy and the fact that the practice is 10illegitimate, there is no statewide ban on the practice 11applying to adults; and 12 WHEREAS, The New Jersey Superior Court, in a landmark 13ruling in Ferguson v. JONAH, determined that the provisions of 14conversion therapy meet all of the standard elements for a 15consumer fraud claim; and 16 WHEREAS, Being gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, 17or otherwise belonging to a marginalized community based on 18sexual orientation or gender identity is not a mental defect 19or a condition that can or should be cured; and 20 WHEREAS, It is essential to protect adults, as well as 21minors, from this fraudulent and harmful practice in order to SR0010- 3 -LRB104 06047 ECR 16080 r 1safeguard the health and well-being of all Illinois residents, 2particularly those within the LGBTQ+ community; and 3 WHEREAS, It is imperative for the Illinois General 4Assembly, as a guardian of public health and safety, to take a 5firm stance against conversion therapy to ensure that Illinois 6remains a safe and supportive environment for all residents, 7particularly LGBTQ+ individuals; allowing conversion therapy 8to persist unchecked undermines the integrity of licensed 9healthcare professionals and poses a public health risk; 10therefore, be it 11 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL 12ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we condemn the 13practice of conversion therapy on any population as unethical 14and fraudulent, and we assert that no licensed professional 15operating in the State of Illinois should engage in this 16practice, whether with minors or adults, as it violates the 17ethical standards of professional behavioral healthcare; and 18be it further 19 RESOLVED, That we condemn conversion therapy as described 20herein, regardless of the target population or how the service 21is marketed or titled; and be it further 22 RESOLVED, That we acknowledge that conversion therapy is SR0010- 4 -LRB104 06047 ECR 16080 r 1not a legitimate form of therapy but is a dangerous and 2discredited practice that has no place in a professional 3setting, and that any professional engaging in such practices 4is in violation of the ethical guidelines governing their 5licensure; and be it further 6 RESOLVED, That we encourage the Illinois Department of 7Public Health to launch a statewide public awareness campaign 8to educate communities about the harms of conversion therapy 9and its fraudulent nature, to collaborate with the Department 10of Financial and Professional Regulation to investigate and 11hold accountable practitioners offering conversion therapy 12under false pretenses, to develop guidelines for healthcare 13professionals to recognize, report, and prevent practices 14associated with conversion therapy, and to support outreach 15initiatives to connect survivors of conversion therapy with 16affirming mental health resources; and be it further 17 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be 18delivered to Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of 19Financial and Professional Regulation, the Illinois Department 20of Public Health, the Illinois Department of Human Services, 21and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.