Gov. Wolf Signs Executive Order On Conversion Therapy

HARRISBURG, PA — An executive order restricting the use of conversion therapy in Pennsylvania was signed by Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday, marking another step in protections for LGBTQ individuals amid fears over the future of their rights that have been stoked by recent rhetoric.

The order means the state will take steps to "discourage" conversion therpay, and outlines broad but numerous guidelines aimed at protecting the LGBTQ community.

“Conversion therapy is a traumatic practice based on junk science that actively harms the people it supposedly seeks to treat," Gov. Wolf said in a statement. "This is about keeping our children safe from bullying and extreme practices that harm them."

The order directs agencies to update their policies and procedures to "better support" the LGBTQ community, and specifically directs the Department of Human Services, the Insurance Department, and the Department of State to ensure state funds are not used for conversion therapy.

One study by suicide prevention organization Trevor Project said that children who underwent the therapy were twice as likely to attempt suicide.

“This discriminatory practice is widely rejected by medical and scientific professionals and has been proven to lead to worse mental health outcomes for LGBTQIA+ youth subjected to it," the governor added.

LGBTQ support in Pennsylvania came to the forefront in recent days when Republicans pushed back against the verbage used on the Department of Education's site describing gender identity and providing resources for schools. A group of 21 GOP lawmakers in the state House labeled the website — which explains terms like transgender, assigned gender, binary gender and includes links to federal agency pages on gender-based violence and equality — as "Gender Theory Student Indoctrination."

Legislation has been introduced that would further LGBTQ protections and codify some of the order into law. Passing a bill is important because as it stands, a Republican governor could easily overrule Wolf's order with their own.