Bill > SB2869

This bill amends existing law to prohibit conversion therapy, a practice aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, for individuals of all ages and also bans its advertisement. Conversion therapy is defined to include aversive techniques, which involve unpleasant stimuli like electric shocks or deprivation, and also encompasses efforts to change behaviors or expressions associated with gender roles. The bill explicitly exempts "talk therapy in the form of pure speech" from this prohibition, meaning conversations between a therapist and client that do not involve coercive or aversive methods are permitted. Additionally, counseling that supports gender transition or facilitates coping and identity exploration, as long as it doesn't aim to change sexual orientation or gender identity, is also allowed. This legislation will only become effective once the Attorney General certifies that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned a specific court ruling, *Chiles v. Salazar*, which dealt with a counselor challenging a state's conversion therapy ban on free speech grounds.

Health and Social Services

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2869&year=2026