HARRISBURG, PA – August 16, 2022 − Today, Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order ending state funding for LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy, a pseudoscientific practice that seeks to alter a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.  Senator Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), leader of the Democratic Caucus in the PA Senate, offers the following statement in support of this order:  

“Today I am proud to celebrate Governor Wolf’s executive order halting state funding for conversion therapy. No matter how we look, who we love, or where in PA we live, all of us deserve the research-based care we need. Protecting and expanding access to gender-affirming care delivers on this core value, as does fighting against the pseudoscientific practices of conversion therapy, which are proven only to cause trauma and shame. The governor’s order will help ensure that thousands of people who call PA home are treated with dignity and respect by the medical community. I look forward to taking these measures even further by passing legislation that protects members of the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination and harassment.”

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