Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is reportedly one of the leading contenders to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, has aligned himself with a major transgender lobbying group and challenged counselors who support gender dysphoric children without promoting progressive medical transition laws.
The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that works to prevent suicide among LGBTQ youth, worked with Shapiro’s office to remove licensed counselors, many from Christian organizations, who opposed proposals for so-called “gender-affirming care” for gender dysphoric children.
The nonprofit group and Shapiro’s office worked together to root out private therapists who they deemed to be practicing “conversion therapy.” Retrieved email By Daily Caller News Foundation Through a public records request.
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Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is also on Harris’ list of running mates. (Hannah Beyer/Bloomberg)
While conversion therapy has traditionally focused on changing same-sex attraction, it now also targets gender identity. The Daily Caller reports that a new policy statement from Pennsylvania’s licensing board, which took effect June 8 and was adopted by five boards, classifies attempts to help children with gender dysphoria embrace their biological sex as gender transition therapy.
Pennsylvania’s new policy accuses licensed professionals who address a child’s gender concerns without supporting the child’s preferred transgender identity of engaging in “immoral” and “unprofessional conduct,” which could result in penalties by the state board and the possibility of revocation or suspension of their professional or medical licenses.
Michael Geer, chairman of the nonprofit organization Pennsylvania Family Associationtold the news outlet that Gov. Shapiro’s actions “hinder counselors and therapists’ ability to help their patients and threaten to punish people who hold different beliefs than the governor on sexual orientation and gender.”
“Pennsylvanians who suffer from unwanted same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria should be able to speak freely with a professional counselor who can help them reach their personal goals,” he said in a statement to the media.
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People attend the LA Pride Parade on June 11, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Robin Beck/AFP via Getty Images)
Perry Monastero, who has worked for more than five years in Pennsylvania against conversion therapy with The Trevor Project, praised the state board for adopting the new policy statement, according to an email. He said the new policy statement is “more binding” than state law, according to a May report in the Philadelphia Business Journal.
“This action by the commission is more binding than if there was state law because it is the professionals and their colleagues who have the decision-making power, saying they did not meet standards, and it can have disciplinary consequences,” Monastero said in an email.
Monastero sent Ashley Strange, executive director of Shapiro’s LGBTQ Issues Advisory Council, an internal Trevor Project memo that listed alleged conversion therapy practitioners in Pennsylvania.
The Daily Caller reported that the Trevor Project combed through publicly available data to identify individuals and groups involved in conversion therapy, many of which were found through databases of Christian organizations such as Restored Hope Network and Focus on the Family. The report found that Pennsylvania has a disproportionate number of religious organizations employing licensed “conversion therapy” providers.
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Pronoun chart from the NIH’s “Gender Pronouns and Their Use in Workplace Communication” guide. (NIH (National Institutes of Health)
In a March 8 email, Strange told Shapiro’s LGBTQ committee that the administration is working with the Trevor Project to improve reporting of alleged conversion therapy practitioners, saying, “We are working with the Trevor Project to expand the avenues through which the public can report conversion therapists.”
Additionally, meeting minutes from state licensing boards (for physicians, social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, psychology, osteopathic medicine, etc.) reveal that between April 8 and May 2, the Shapiro Administration pressured these boards to eliminate medical practices that it labeled as conversion therapy.
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“I’m angry, but not surprised, that opponents of choice counseling are unfairly targeting our Christian counselors, who respect our clients’ goals and support people in living out their faith,” Ann Edwards, executive director of the Restored Hope Network, a faith-based counseling hub, told the outlet. “According to Generations data from the Williams Institute, researched by Dr. Paul Sullins, this counseling reduces suicide rates among minors by a staggering 50 percent. It’s disturbing that The Trevor Project is trying to ban choice counseling and punish counselors.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Shapiro’s office but did not receive a response by deadline.
