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California ban on gay therapy support other states as opponents plan lawsuit
Backers of California ban on gay therapy support other states as opponents plan lawsuit
The California ban on psychotherapy aimed at making gay teenagers straight has prompted other states to follow despite protest from various groups.
The California ban on psychotherapy aimed at making gay teenagers straight has prompted other states to follow despite protest from various groups.
Gay rights advocates are making plans to get other states to join California in banning psychotherapy aimed at making gay teenagers straight, even as opponents prepared Monday to sue to overturn the first law in the nation to take aim at the practice.
After months of intense lobbying, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill late Saturday that prohibits licensed mental health professionals from using so-called reparative or conversion therapies with clients under age 18. Brown called the therapies “quackery” that “have no basis in science or medicine.”
Two New Jersey lawmakers already are drafting similar legislation, while groups that helped get the California law passed are sharing research, witnesses and talking points with counterparts in other states, said Geoff Kors, senior legislative and policy strategist for the San Francisco-based National Center for Lesbian Rights.
“There are lots of folks today who are looking at this, now that the governor has signed it,” Kors said. “We’ll be reaching out to all the state [gay rights] groups, especially in states that have had success passing LGBT rights legislation.”
The law only applies to licensed therapists, not ministers or lay people who counsel teens to resist same-sex attractions.
Two Christian legal groups, meanwhile, said they would sue in federal court in Sacramento to prevent the law from taking effect Jan. 1.
The lawsuits will be filed on behalf of therapists whose practices include efforts to help clients change their sexual orientations or reduce their attractions to people of the same sex; parents who have sought such therapy for their children; and teenagers who currently are undergoing it, lawyers for the California-based Pacific Justice Institute and Florida-based Liberty Counsel said.
Liberty Counsel Chairman Mat Staver said his organization plans to argue in court that the law infringes on the First Amendment and equal protection rights of individuals to give and receive information that matches their personal and professional beliefs.
“What this law does is tell minors that they can no longer receive information about same-sex attractions that they have been receiving and that they find beneficial to them,” Staver said. “It also puts counselors in a situation where they must present only one viewpoint of this subject.”
The law Brown signed states that mental health providers who use sexual orientation change efforts on clients under 18 would be engaging in unprofessional conduct and subject to discipline by their respective state licensing boards.
Mainstream associations representing psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers have dismissed reparative therapy in recent decades as being ineffective and potentially dangerous to the mental health of teenagers and young adults, who are led to believe their interest in same-sex partners is wrong.
David Pruden, vice president of the California-based National Association for Research and Therapy on Homosexuality, a professional association that supports treatment for homosexuality, estimated there are two dozen therapists statewide who engage in efforts to change sexual orientation, and not all of them treat adolescents.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/news/2012/10/backers-new-california-ban-gay-therapy-seek-help-other-states-opponents-plan-lawsuit#ixzz28BObCnn4
The California ban on psychotherapy aimed at making gay teenagers straight has prompted other states to follow despite protest from various groups.
The California ban on psychotherapy aimed at making gay teenagers straight has prompted other states to follow despite protest from various groups.
Gay rights advocates are making plans to get other states to join California in banning psychotherapy aimed at making gay teenagers straight, even as opponents prepared Monday to sue to overturn the first law in the nation to take aim at the practice.
After months of intense lobbying, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill late Saturday that prohibits licensed mental health professionals from using so-called reparative or conversion therapies with clients under age 18. Brown called the therapies “quackery” that “have no basis in science or medicine.”
Two New Jersey lawmakers already are drafting similar legislation, while groups that helped get the California law passed are sharing research, witnesses and talking points with counterparts in other states, said Geoff Kors, senior legislative and policy strategist for the San Francisco-based National Center for Lesbian Rights.
“There are lots of folks today who are looking at this, now that the governor has signed it,” Kors said. “We’ll be reaching out to all the state [gay rights] groups, especially in states that have had success passing LGBT rights legislation.”
The law only applies to licensed therapists, not ministers or lay people who counsel teens to resist same-sex attractions.
Two Christian legal groups, meanwhile, said they would sue in federal court in Sacramento to prevent the law from taking effect Jan. 1.
The lawsuits will be filed on behalf of therapists whose practices include efforts to help clients change their sexual orientations or reduce their attractions to people of the same sex; parents who have sought such therapy for their children; and teenagers who currently are undergoing it, lawyers for the California-based Pacific Justice Institute and Florida-based Liberty Counsel said.
Liberty Counsel Chairman Mat Staver said his organization plans to argue in court that the law infringes on the First Amendment and equal protection rights of individuals to give and receive information that matches their personal and professional beliefs.
“What this law does is tell minors that they can no longer receive information about same-sex attractions that they have been receiving and that they find beneficial to them,” Staver said. “It also puts counselors in a situation where they must present only one viewpoint of this subject.”
The law Brown signed states that mental health providers who use sexual orientation change efforts on clients under 18 would be engaging in unprofessional conduct and subject to discipline by their respective state licensing boards.
Mainstream associations representing psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers have dismissed reparative therapy in recent decades as being ineffective and potentially dangerous to the mental health of teenagers and young adults, who are led to believe their interest in same-sex partners is wrong.
David Pruden, vice president of the California-based National Association for Research and Therapy on Homosexuality, a professional association that supports treatment for homosexuality, estimated there are two dozen therapists statewide who engage in efforts to change sexual orientation, and not all of them treat adolescents.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/news/2012/10/backers-new-california-ban-gay-therapy-seek-help-other-states-opponents-plan-lawsuit#ixzz28BObCnn4
You know many of us extremist crazy California types think Bachman's husband was a closet case. I mean, have you watched that guy???
It's all sad. I do think that every family is entitled to their belief system whether I agree with it or not. A parent has the right to attempt to teach their belief system to their kids. And I'm not so sure about the government stepping in regarding that. Because reality is, if those parents feel so strongly that being gay is wrong, they'll be giving that discussion a lot of heat at home and then maybe the government should deam them unfit parents and remove the kids from the home all together.
I do think parents should respect who their children are and work tirelessly to help them be comfortable with it. That is how I parent my own kids.
I think many a family works to adjust to the news that their child is homosexual including the child trying to adjust to that concept. I'm a big fan of family counseling for this.
Anyway, I see your point Amanda, Orphanedhawk and Teko. Teen suicide is on the rise and I don't think a parent should force their child into such therapy. It's just strange to me that they hold the therapists accountable.
Wasn't Michelle Bachman's husband this type of therapist?
I do think parents should respect who their children are and work tirelessly to help them be comfortable with it. That is how I parent my own kids.
I think many a family works to adjust to the news that their child is homosexual including the child trying to adjust to that concept. I'm a big fan of family counseling for this.
Anyway, I see your point Amanda, Orphanedhawk and Teko. Teen suicide is on the rise and I don't think a parent should force their child into such therapy. It's just strange to me that they hold the therapists accountable.
Wasn't Michelle Bachman's husband this type of therapist?
I watched a program the other day called Prayers for Bobby. It was about a boy born to a christian family, who was raised on christian values, who felt homosexuality was a sin and it showed the trials of this young guy who found himself attracted to the same sex. When the parents found out they put him in therapy, told him he could be cured if he prayed real hard and left scripture everywhere in the house. Ended up the boy jumped off a overpass in the path of an oncoming 18 wheeler and was killed leaving his mother to worry about where his soul went. And it goes on. I highly recommend this film to all as I think it represents a true reflection of someone who is born gay and is told how sick they are.
I'm with EL..WTF??! (excuse my potty mouth..lol)
Yes these parents do feel "in their hearts" that they are doing the right thing. That's why their children need to be protected, by law, from them.
Yes it's very real and very dangerous and has been going on for quite some time. Jerry Brown is a hero. Check out Exodusinternational.org for more disturbing information.
"...psychotherapy aimed at making gay teenagers straight..."
Is this a real thing? For a second, I thought the article was a joke, and written sort of 'tongue-in-cheek'.
Seriously you guys, this isn't actually a REAL thing, is it?!?
(shakes head and does a double-take)
Is this a real thing? For a second, I thought the article was a joke, and written sort of 'tongue-in-cheek'.
Seriously you guys, this isn't actually a REAL thing, is it?!?
(shakes head and does a double-take)
It's the primary reason I support this law. I mean, I think it has been proven that being gay is not something you can nor should be counseling out of. It would be like sending a child to therapy to change their hair color from brown to blond. Therapy would be better served to help young people feel good about who they are and accepting of themselves. Still, there are well meaning parents who believe that sexual orientation is an illness or a choice or something. They may send their kids to this type of therapy out of love, but the results can potentially be disasterous. So yes, sometimes I do believe the law has to intervene on a child's behalf. I wish it didn't, but I think it does.
I understand that this is a tough one to swallow...I think any law that gets between a child and parents is. I dislike anything that would not allow me to parent my way. However, we know from history that as well meaning as parents may be, bad choices are made. And at the end of the day, kids must always be protected.
I understand that this is a tough one to swallow...I think any law that gets between a child and parents is. I dislike anything that would not allow me to parent my way. However, we know from history that as well meaning as parents may be, bad choices are made. And at the end of the day, kids must always be protected.
" I suspect this law stems from the amount of gay and lesbian kids who have committed suicide in recent years."
I think adgal hit the nail on the head. Of course the parents and therapists believe they're doing the right thing but this kind of intervention, has led desperate young people to commit suicide.
I think adgal hit the nail on the head. Of course the parents and therapists believe they're doing the right thing but this kind of intervention, has led desperate young people to commit suicide.
No question there is a fine line here. And it is hard. I also believe that parents feel in their hearts they are doing the right thing and of course parents should teach their children their own value system - it's part of our jobs as parents. I suspect this law stems from the amount of gay and lesbian kids who have committed suicide in recent years. It's become a real hot topic.
Anytime laws are made to protect kids from their parents I think they have to tread lightly and cautiously. It's a tough thing.
Anytime laws are made to protect kids from their parents I think they have to tread lightly and cautiously. It's a tough thing.
Well, it is a hard. I believe that a lot of parents feel in their hearts they are doing the right thing for their children whether I agree or not. I'm probably not bit on the 'protecting kids' from their own parents. But I can see your point too. Damage to vulnerable teens is something to be avoided.
I just think that it is interesting that it is to the point of it becoming law.
I just think that it is interesting that it is to the point of it becoming law.
Well, I will admit, I think the law is a good one. I really do. There have been so many stories of parents enrolling their children in this type of therapy, and it seems to have rather disasterous results. It can teach the young person that who they are is not ok. I guess I just believe that psychotherapy should be more focused on helping you accept and be happy with who you are, not what your parents would like you to be.
If someone chooses to pursue this therapy as an adult, that is their right. But I really don't believe children should be subjected to this. To me, it's right up there with parents who deny their child medical treatment due to their beliefs. I know there have been court orders overriding parents in those types of scenarios.
Again, for me it comes back to the fact that the vast majority of parents are good and decent people who act in their childs best interest...but sometimes a little (or a lot) of intervention is required for the childs protection. Just my opinion.
If someone chooses to pursue this therapy as an adult, that is their right. But I really don't believe children should be subjected to this. To me, it's right up there with parents who deny their child medical treatment due to their beliefs. I know there have been court orders overriding parents in those types of scenarios.
Again, for me it comes back to the fact that the vast majority of parents are good and decent people who act in their childs best interest...but sometimes a little (or a lot) of intervention is required for the childs protection. Just my opinion.
I realize that. It is just interesting that they make a law about this. Is the assumption that disgruntled parents are forcing them to do the therapy? What if it is a teen who is confused and desires the therapy themselves? Should it then be against the law?
I don't know if I agree or disagree but it is strange to me that they are trying to pass a law on the subject.
I don't know if I agree or disagree but it is strange to me that they are trying to pass a law on the subject.
The ban is on psychotherapy aimed at making gay teenagers straight.
It's only for those under the age of 18.
It's only for those under the age of 18.
Hm, I didn't know you could legislate what goes on in psychotherapy.
I think people should be who they are and my hope is that all can be at peace and content with it. They should be able to love whom they choose without prejudice against them for it.
However, some do seek this type of counseling to help them reconcile various feelings they have going on internally. Perhaps they'd like to live a straight life for whatever reason. It feels wrong that they'd be denied BY LAW to receive this type of counseling if they desire it.
I guess they'll wait until they are 18 now.
I mean, the therapy might be bogus but it is odd to me that they are spending time making a law about this.
I think people should be who they are and my hope is that all can be at peace and content with it. They should be able to love whom they choose without prejudice against them for it.
However, some do seek this type of counseling to help them reconcile various feelings they have going on internally. Perhaps they'd like to live a straight life for whatever reason. It feels wrong that they'd be denied BY LAW to receive this type of counseling if they desire it.
I guess they'll wait until they are 18 now.
I mean, the therapy might be bogus but it is odd to me that they are spending time making a law about this.
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