State Sen. Scott Wiener has announced legislation that would allow survivors of conversion therapy in California to pursue malpractice lawsuits years after the treatment occurred.
Senate Bill 934 would expand the time limits for filing civil claims against licensed health care providers accused of using conversion therapy, a practice widely condemned by major medical and mental health organizations as harmful and ineffective.
Under the bill, survivors who were minors at the time of the therapy could file claims until age 40, a press release issued Friday noted.
Adults could file within 10 years of their last session or within five years of discovering harm tied to the treatment.
Wiener said the measure is intended to strengthen protections for LGBTQ+ youth and give survivors more time to seek justice for long-term trauma linked to conversion therapy.
The bill is backed by organizations including Equality California, Lambda Legal, National Center for LGBTQ Rights, and The Trevor Project.
“With conversion therapy bans facing legal threats from right-wing extremists and a hostile Supreme Court, we must create new strategies to protect LGBTQ youth. SB 934 provides these safeguards,” said Senator Wiener. “Survivors struggle with deep scars from this treatment for years and years, and they deserve the right to justice for what has been done to them. SB 934 gives them the right to hold charlatans accountable for this debunked torture.”