Biden issues executive order cracking down on 'discredited and dangerous' conversion therapy

President Biden will sign an executive order "Advancing Equality for LGBTQI+ Individuals," the White House announced Wednesday.
In a statement, the administration said the order cracks down on the "discredited and dangerous practice" of conversion therapy, directs the Department of Health and Human Services to help prevent LGBT youth suicide by expanding access to mental health resources, and calls on HHS to "study and address the disproportionate rates of child removals that LGBTQI+ parents face, especially women of color."
"I have no room in my heart for hatred and I have no time for intolerance, but we don't live in a world where everyone feels that way, and this administration understands that more action is needed," said HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine, who is transgender.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ryan T. Anderson, the president of the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center, called the proposal "Orwellian." Biden's order, Anderson wrote, "would prevent efforts to help girls identify as girls. That's what they're calling 'conversion therapy.' Meanwhile it'll expand efforts to give girls puberty blockers and testosterone. That's what they're calling 'gender affirmation.'"
Politico notes that the order "comes on the heels of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' move to end gender-affirming care for minors." Earlier this month Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, asked the Florida Board of Medicine to "establish a standard of care" that would prohibit doctors from providing puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-reassignment surgery to minors.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Store closings could accelerate throughout 2025
Under the Radar Major brands like Macy's and Walgreens are continuing to shutter stores
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: February 20, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: February 20, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Trump officials try to reverse DOGE-led firings
Speed Read Mass firings by Elon Musk's team have included employees working on the H5N1 bird flu epidemic and US nuclear weapons programs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump blames Ukraine for war after US-Russia talks
Speed Read The US and Russia have agreed to work together on ending the Ukraine war — but President Trump has flipped America's approach
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Musk's DOGE seeks access to IRS, Social Security files
Speed Read If cleared, the Department of Government Efficiency would have access to tax returns, bank records and other highly personal information about most Americans
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Senate confirms RFK Jr. as health secretary
Speed Read The noted vaccine skeptic is now in charge of America's massive public health system
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump lays out plans for broad 'reciprocal' tariffs
Speed Read Tariffs imposed on countries that are deemed to be treating the US unfairly could ignite a global trade war and worsen American inflation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Top US prosecutors resign rather than drop Adams case
speed read The interim US attorney for the Southern District and five senior Justice Department officials quit following an order to drop the charges against Mayor Eric Adams
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Senate confirms Gabbard as intelligence chief
Speed Read The controversial former Democratic lawmaker, now Trump loyalist, was sworn in as director of national intelligence
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, Putin plan Ukraine peace talks without Kyiv
Speed Read President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not included
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published