Vice President Kamala Harris has short-listed a potential running mate who collaborated with transgender activists who targeted medical professionals practicing reparative therapy, according to The Daily Caller.
Harris is reportedly considering Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who worked with the Trevor Project to attempt to ban conversion therapy, according to documents.
The Trevor Project worked in tandem with Shapiro to bypass legislation to try to ban the therapy while looking into the backgrounds of individual licensed therapists. Some of the therapists were targeted for their connections to Christian groups, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Anne Edward, executive director of Restored Hope Network, said it's not surprising Christian therapists are being targeted.
"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," she told the DCNF.
The Trevor Project, with Shapiro's weight and blessing, pressured state licensing boards to adopt the ability to retaliate against mental health professionals involved in conversion therapy with disciplinary action.
The new law, which was adopted by the Pennsylvania licensing board and five additional state licensing boards, defines "conversion therapy" in broad-brush strokes. The new language includes efforts by licensed mental health professionals who seek to help children become comfortable with their birth sex as "conversion therapy" — now a punishable offense.
The new policy states engaging in this work is both "immoral" and "unprofessional conduct." Practitioners who violate these new rules face the potential of revocation or suspension of their medical license.
Michael Geer, president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute, said the move to punish those practitioners who disagree with Shapiro is troubling.
He told the DCNF in a statement, "These actions by Gov. Shapiro 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."
Geer said patients who want to seek help for gender dysphoria should be "free to speak with professional counselors who could help them achieve their personal goals."
Shapiro has praised the shift, saying in a May 2024 press release, "There is no place for the harmful, dangerous practice of conversion therapy here in our Commonwealth."
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