Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, reportedly among the top contenders to be Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, partnered with a major transgender lobbying group to challenge counselors who support children with gender dysphoria without promoting progressive medical transition methods.
The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention nonprofit for LGBTQ youth, collaborated with Shapiro's office to weed out licensed counselors – many of whom were part of Christian groups – who were opposed to suggesting so-called "gender affirming care" for children with gender dysphoria.
The nonprofit and Shapiro's office worked together to stomp out what they deemed as individual therapists doing "conversion therapy," according to emails obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation through public record requests.
While conversion therapy traditionally focuses on altering same-sex attraction, it now also encompasses gender identity. New policy statements from Pennsylvania's licensing boards, effective June 8 and adopted by five boards, classify attempts to help gender-distressed children accept their biological sex – rather than endorsing a transgender identity – as conversion therapy, the Dailey Caller reported.
The new policies in Pennsylvania denounce licensed professionals who address a child's gender distress without supporting their desired transgender identity as engaging in "immoral" and "unprofessional conduct." Such actions could lead to penalties from the state board, including potential revocation or suspension of professional or medical licenses.
Michael Geer, president of the nonprofit Pennsylvania Family Institute, told the news outlet that Shapiro's action "hinders the ability of counselors and therapists to help their patients and threaten to punish those with convictions on sexuality and gender that differ from the governor’s."
"Pennsylvanians who seek help in facing unwanted same-sex attractions or gender dysphoria should be free to speak with professional counselors who could help them achieve their personal goals," he said in a statement to the outlet.
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According to the emails, Perry Monastero, who worked for more than five years in the Trevor Project's campaign against conversion therapy in Pennsylvania, commended the state boards for adopting the new policy statements. He described them as "more binding" than state law, according to a May report by the Philadelphia Business Journal.
"This action by the boards is more binding than if we had a state law, because the decision makers are the professionals and their own peers, so they’re the ones that are saying this is not up to standard, and they’re the ones that could impact the discipline," Monastero said in an email.
Monastero sent Ashleigh Strange, executive director of Shapiro's Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, an internal Trevor Project memo listing alleged conversion therapy practitioners in Pennsylvania.
The Daily Caller reported that the Trevor Project undertook an extensive review of publicly available data to identify individuals and organizations involved in conversion therapy. Many of these were discovered through databases of Christian groups like the Restored Hope Network and Focus on the Family. The report indicates that Pennsylvania has a notably high number of faith-based organizations employing licensed "conversion therapy" providers.
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In a March 8 email, Strange informed Shapiro’s LGBTQ commission that the administration is working with the Trevor Project to improve reporting mechanisms for alleged conversion therapy practitioners, stating, "We are working with the Trevor Project to amplify ways the public can report conversion ‘therapists.'"
Additionally, meeting minutes from state licensing boards – including those for Medicine, Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, Professional Counselors, Psychology, and Osteopathic Medicine – reveal that the Shapiro administration has been pressuring these boards to eliminate practices labeled as conversion therapy between April 8 and May 2.
"We are offended, yet not surprised, that opponents of counseling choice are unfairly targeting our Christian counselors who respect client goals and support those who seek to walk out their faith with their bodies," Anne Edward, an executive director at one of the faith-based counseling hubs, Restored Hope Network, told the news outlet. "This counseling reduces suicidality for minors by a whopping 50 percent according to the Williams Institute Generations data reviewed by Dr. Paul Sullins. Disturbingly, The Trevor Project is seeking to ban counseling choice and punish counselors."
Fox News Digital reached out to Shapiro's office but did not hear back by press deadline.
