Federal ban on paid conversion therapy protects LGBTQ+ youth from fraud

What it does

This bill makes it illegal for anyone to offer or advertise conversion therapy—practices claiming to change sexual orientation or gender identity—if they are paid to do so. The Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Attorney General, and state attorneys general are empowered to enforce the ban through civil lawsuits, treating violations as consumer fraud. The bill protects legitimate mental-health support (like counseling for someone transitioning or exploring their identity) while targeting only paid attempts to alter sexual orientation or gender identity.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is a consumer-fraud prohibition targeting a specific harmful commercial practice. It is framed and structured as a public-health measure protecting vulnerable populations from deceptive and dangerous services, not as a speech restriction or religious carve-out.

What the text implies

• The bill's definition of conversion therapy is narrowly tied to monetary compensation, meaning unpaid practices (e.g., by family members, clergy, or volunteers) fall outside the prohibition—a potential loophole for informal coercion.
• The First Amendment carve-out in the definition (products/services 'protected by the First Amendment') may create litigation risk if practitioners argue their services are expressive conduct, though the bill's consumer-fraud framing should withstand such challenges.
• State attorneys general are granted broad parens patriae authority to sue, which could lead to inconsistent enforcement or forum-shopping if some states decline to participate.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill protects vulnerable people—especially minors and those under family pressure—from fraudulent, scientifically discredited practices that cause documented psychological harm. It does not restrict access to legitimate affirming mental-health care; it only bars paid attempts to change sexual orientation or gender identity. The enforcement mechanism treats this as consumer fraud, which is a standard public-health protection.

Named in the bill

Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Attorney General, State Attorneys General, Conversion therapy practitioners

Where it stands

204 cosponsors: 204 Democrats.

• May 7, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• May 7, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 lobbying clients named this bill on 3 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $779,908 in lobbying spend. A filing names 120 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.

Ted Lieu, the sponsor, reported $639,279 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Human Rights Campaign — $439,908 on 2 filings
• American Psychological Association Services Inc.(fka American Psychological Assn — $340,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 17, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.