California Upholds Ban on Gay 'Conversn Therapy' | Al Jazeera Ameri

Contents:

• SUPREME COURT TURNS AWAY CHALLENGE TO CALIFORNIA BAN ON ‘GAY NVERSN’ THERAPY
• OP-ED: CONVERSN THERAPY FOR GAYS IS AWFUL, BUT SO IS CALIFORNIA’S BILL TO BAN
• SUPREME COURT KEEPS CALIFORNIA'S 'GAY CONVERSN' THERAPY BAN IN PLACE
• CALIFORNIA LAW BANNG GAY ‘NVERSN THERAPY’ PUT ON HOLD
• CALIFORNIA BILL BANS GAY-CONVERSN THERAPY
• 'MOST' GAY NVERSN THERAPY ROLUTN ADVANC ASSEMBLY
• CALIFORNIA ERNOR OKS BAN ON GAY NVERSN THERAPY, LLG ‘QUACKERY’
• CALIFORNIA BAN ON GAY CONVERSN THERAPY STANDS
• CALIFORNIA LAW BANNG GAY 'CONVERSN THERAPY' CHALLENGED ON FREE SPEECH GROUNDS
• GAY-NVERSN THERAPY LED ILLEGAL CALIFORNIA
• CLASHG RULGS COMPLITE PATH OF GAY ‘CONVERSN THERAPY’ LAW
• CALIFORNIA UPHOLDS BAN ON GAY ‘NVERSN THERAPY’ FOR MORS
• CONVERSN THERAPY CALIFORNIA BAN: BILL TO BAN GAY REPARATIVE THERAPY PASS SENATE (VIDEO)

SUPREME COURT TURNS AWAY CHALLENGE TO CALIFORNIA BAN ON ‘GAY NVERSN’ THERAPY

The Supreme Court has refed to overturn a ban on “gay nversn” therapy, and Democratic lawmakers recently troduced a bill that attempts to ban the practice at the natnal level — both legal mov that have advot cheerg. The cisn after years of legal proceedgs agast California’s 2012 law, which outlawed state-licensed medil profsnals om performg “gay nversn” therapy to change a mor’s sexual orientatn. The Amerin Psychiatric Associatn pletely removed homosexualy as an illns om the Diagnostic and Statistil Manual 1987, but no bills explicly banng the practice were troduced until 2012.

Another study, published the Journal of Homosexualy 2020 by Cal Ryan, PhD, director of the Fay Acceptance Project at San Francis State Universy, and lleagu, found that when parents of LGBT youth tried to change their children’s sexual orientatn at home and also took them to therapists or relig lears to change their inty, the youth reported a three tim greater likelihood of high levels of prsn, attempted suici, lower tn and e levels, and lower life satisfactn young adulthood. Fay rejectg behavrs are broadly associated wh negative health out, while supportive behavrs are lked to posive out, as she scribed her Journal of Homosexualy paper.

The Legislature fds and clar all of the followg:(a) Beg lbian, gay, or bisexual is not a disease, disorr, illns, ficiency, or shortg.

OP-ED: CONVERSN THERAPY FOR GAYS IS AWFUL, BUT SO IS CALIFORNIA’S BILL TO BAN

The task force nclud that sexual orientatn change efforts n pose cril health risks to lbian, gay, and bisexual people, cludg nfn, prsn, guilt, helplsns, hopelsns, shame, social whdrawal, suicidaly, substance abe, strs, disappotment, self-blame, creased self-teem and thenticy to others, creased self-hatred, hostily and blame toward parents, feelgs of anger and betrayal, loss of iends and potential romantic partners, problems sexual and emotnal timacy, sexual dysfunctn, high-risk sexual behavrs, a feelg of beg humanized and unte to self, a loss of fah, and a sense of havg wasted time and rourc. Sexual Orientatn Distrs and Change Efforts 2009, which stat: “[T]he [Amerin Psychologil Associatn] advis parents, guardians, young people, and their fai to avoid sexual orientatn change efforts that portray homosexualy as a mental illns or velopmental disorr and to seek psychotherapy, social support, and tnal servic that provi accurate rmatn on sexual orientatn and sexualy, crease fay and school support, and rce rejectn of sexual mory youth.

SUPREME COURT KEEPS CALIFORNIA'S 'GAY CONVERSN' THERAPY BAN IN PLACE

”(d) The Amerin Psychiatric Associatn published a posn statement March of 2000 which stated:“Psychotheraptic modali to nvert or ‘repair’ homosexualy are based on velopmental theori whose scientific validy is qutnable. self-stctive behavr, sce therapist alignment wh societal prejudic agast homosexualy may rerce self-hatred already experienced by the patient.

Many patients who have unrgone reparative therapy relate that they were accurately told that homosexuals are lonely, unhappy dividuals who never achieve acceptance or satisfactn. The possibily that the person might achieve happs and satisfyg terpersonal relatnships as a gay man or lbian is not prented, nor are alternative approach to alg wh the effects of societal stigmatizatn discsed.

CALIFORNIA LAW BANNG GAY ‘NVERSN THERAPY’ PUT ON HOLD

the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn oppos any psychiatric treatment such as reparative or nversn therapy which is based upon the assumptn that homosexualy per se is a mental disorr or based upon the a prri assumptn that a patient should change his/her sexual homosexual orientatn. ”(e) The Amerin School Counselor Associatn’s posn statement on profsnal school unselors and lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenred, and qutng (LGBTQ) youth stat: “It is not the role of the profsnal school unselor to attempt to change a stunt’s sexual orientatn/genr inty but stead to provi support to LGBTQ stunts to promote stunt achievement and personal well-beg. ”(g) The Amerin Medil Associatn Council on Scientific Affairs prepared a report 1994 which stated: “Aversn therapy (a behavral or medil terventn which pairs unwanted behavr, this se, homosexual behavr, wh unpleasant sensatns or aversive nsequenc) is no longer remend for gay men and lbians.

CALIFORNIA BILL BANS GAY-CONVERSN THERAPY

statement which stated: “Social stigmatizatn of lbian, gay and bisexual people is wispread and is a primary motivatg factor leadg some people to seek sexual orientatn chang.

'MOST' GAY NVERSN THERAPY ROLUTN ADVANC ASSEMBLY

”(i) The Amerin Counselg Associatn Governg Council issued a posn statement April of 1999, and the uncil stat: “We oppose ‘the promotn of “reparative therapy” as a “cure” for dividuals who are homosexual. Their article entled Fay Rejectn as a Predictor of Negative Health Out Whe and Lato Lbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults (2009) 123 Pediatrics 346.

CALIFORNIA ERNOR OKS BAN ON GAY NVERSN THERAPY, LLG ‘QUACKERY’

physil and psychologil well-beg of mors, cludg lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr youth, and protectg s mors agast exposure to ser harms ed by sexual orientatn change efforts. Evan Low shepherd through passage last week, clar that “the potential risks of reparative therapy are great, cludg prsn, anxiety and self-stctive behavr, sce therapist alignment wh societal prejudic agast homosexualy may rerce self-hatred already experienced by the patient. ”That go even beyond tryg to change sexual, would seem to enpass a gay man who go to a therapist and says, “Look, I unrstand that you n’t make me straight, but I’m married to a woman, we have children, and I want to try to be fahful to her and foc on our fay at least until the kids are out of the hoe — n you help me to change my behavr, or at least rce how often I thk about sex wh men?

If the law ph people toward relig unselors who do “gay nversn therapy” for ee (and th legally), are we nfint anyone is gog to be better off? Supreme Court on Monday left tact California’s ban on “gay nversn” therapy aimed at turng youths unr age 18 away om homosexualy, rejectg a Christian mister’s challenge to the law assertg vlat relig rights. New Jersey, Illois, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexi and the District of Columbia have siar laws on the books, acrdg to the Human Rights Campaign, an advocy group for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people.

Such treatments stem om a belief that homosexualy is a mental illns, a view that has been discreded for s, the state said urt platiff Donald Welch, an ordaed mister and licensed fay therapist, overse unselg at Skyle Wleyan Church, an evangelil Christian church the San Diego area that believ sexualy belongs only a marriage between a man and a, along wh a Catholic psychiatrist and a man who unrwent nversn therapy and now aspir to perform on others, sued the state claimg the law is their ee speech challenge failed, the platiffs’ prsed their claim that the ban vlat their right to eely exercise their relign.

CALIFORNIA BAN ON GAY CONVERSN THERAPY STANDS

An appeals urt slapped an junctn on a new California state law that bans nversn therapy for mors– a method some say n help turn a gay person straight. “Furthermore, seems likely that the promotn of change therapi rerc stereotyp and ntribut to a negative climate for lbian, gay, and bisexual persons, ” says the APA, the largt scientific and profsnal anizatn reprentg psychology the Uned Stat. David Pickup, a spokman for the Natnal Associatn for Rearch and Therapy of Homosexualy, believ nversn therapy is valid and should be ed.

California won't be expandg s current limatns on gay nversn therapy anytime soon, but this week the Assembly Judiciary Commtee passed a rolutn nmng the 99, thored by Assemblyman Evan Low, D-San Jose, lls upon fah lears to embrace the benefs of muny acceptance for LGBTQ dividuals and acknowledge “psychologil and other harms of nversn therapy.

CALIFORNIA LAW BANNG GAY 'CONVERSN THERAPY' CHALLENGED ON FREE SPEECH GROUNDS

"After passg through the judiciary mtee, ACR 99 will next be heard on the Assembly floor and, if advanc, will then move on to the state, films help effort to ban gay nversn therapyMore:Gay nversn therapy for mors: Mae be the 17th state to ban the practiceMore:Demonstrators rally agast LGBTQ nversn therapy ReddgSam Metz vers polics. Therapy aimed at turng gay kids straight will soon be illegal California, wh the state’s ernor clarg he hop a new law will relegate such efforts “to the dtb of quackery.

But practners of so-lled “reparative therapy” say the assertns of the ernor and gay rights advot “jt are not te, ” acrdg to David Pickup, a spokman for the Natnal Associatn for Rearch and Therapy of Homosexualy.

“For them to have a bill that says, ‘No, we n’t even talk about the issu, we n’t do anythg to help the children rolve their homosexual feelgs and maximize their heterosexual potential’ – that’s the height of polil and theraptic irrponsibily. “The longstandg nsens of the behavral and social scienc and the health and mental health profsns is that homosexualy per se is a normal and posive variatn of human sexual orientatn, ” the associatn says. “This law will ensure that state-licensed therapists n no longer abe their power to harm LGBT youth and propagate the dangero and adly lie that sexual orientatn is an illns or disorr that n be ‘cured, ’” said Orr’s anizatn, which scrib self as the largt statewi advocy group California workg for “full equaly” for lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people.

GAY-NVERSN THERAPY LED ILLEGAL CALIFORNIA

Thoands believe, he claims, “believe there’s a e-and-effect nature of homosexualy” that n be brought about by stanc of abe and issu like “genr inty ferry, ” “un-met needs om … ually the same-sex parent” and other “ner wounds that we disver therapy. “When those wounds get healed, the homosexual feelgs – we don’t force them away, they naturally, spontaneoly dissipate, ” said Pickup, who creds the therapy wh havg “helped save my life, ” by creasg his prsn and raisg his self-teem.

Ryan Kendall, who went through this type of therapy when he was 13, told CNN began after his mother read his diary and disvered he was gay. “I believe I owe the gay muny an apology for my study makg unproven claims of the efficy of reparative therapy, ” Spzer said a letter to the edor of the Archiv of Sexual Behavr. “I also apologize to any gay person who wasted time and energy unrgog some form of reparative therapy bee they believed that I had proven that reparative therapy works wh some ‘highly motivated’ dividuals.

CLASHG RULGS COMPLITE PATH OF GAY ‘CONVERSN THERAPY’ LAW

The measure prohibs mental health provirs om “engagg sexual orientatn change efforts” wh mors, meang that therapists and other licensed unselors are not allowed to engage the ntroversial practice of attemptg to rid someone unr 18 of homosexual feelgs. April 17, 2013 — -- The qutn of whether a ntroversial California law that would ban gay "nversn therapy" vlat the First Amendment right to ee speech heads to a San Francis appeals urt bill, which bans efforts by therapists to change the sexual orientatn of gay and lbian young people, was signed to law last fall by California Gov.

Gay nversn therapy practners, a natnal associatn of Christian mental health unselors and the fai of two teenage boys who say their sons benefed om the therapy brought the challenge to the law. Sce the law passed, other stat have been nsirg siar legislatn that would ban gay nversn Guay, a licensed marriage and fay therapist Los Angel, voluntarily tried to change his sexual orientatn om age 12 until age 20. Guay, now 41, said as a 16-year-old he went to weekly nversn therapy ssns for a year wh a licensed formerly gay Christian psychologist, and attend several nferenc of people who said they were formerly gay.

"Guay said that even if the law remas effect, parents would still be able to "shame" their kids for beg LGBTQ (lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer/qutng), and nonlicensed relig unselors uld still practice sexual orientatn change efforts. He also poted out that January 2012 Alan Chambers, the current print of Exod Internatnal, a Christian anizatn of former gays, admted that 99 percent of people tryg to change their sexual orientatn uldn't. McReynolds said the Pacific Jtice Instute saw the challenge to the law as strictly a ee speech issue, and not as a gay rights issue.

CALIFORNIA UPHOLDS BAN ON GAY ‘NVERSN THERAPY’ FOR MORS

He poted out that California allowed mors to receive mental health treatment and therapy for virtually everythg -- except for gay nversn therapy.

"It's very ncerng to that so many people are willg to ignore or overlook ee speech ncerns, " he said, "when the issue volv gay issu and gay rights. Livg Waters Internatnal also ns several groups around Atralia that offer healg for “sexual brokenns”, a tegory which they clu homosexualy. While there’s currently no published scholarly rearch on the ex-gay movement Atralia, treatments offered here appear to nform to those offered around the Wtern world.

CONVERSN THERAPY CALIFORNIA BAN: BILL TO BAN GAY REPARATIVE THERAPY PASS SENATE (VIDEO)

In the therapi, patients would be exposed to homosexual erotic stimuli and then given electric shocks or chemils that would duce vomg. Aversn therapy was admistered mastream health facili and was often urt-orred, an alternative to imprisonment an era when gay sex was illegal. Ex-gay therapi utilise a blend of popular self-help techniqu (based on the 12-step program of Alholics Anonymo) and a spirual methods such as prayer, nfsn, bible readg, and a personal relatnship wh God.

Other groups, such as Liberty Christian Mistri, associated wh the Anglin Dce of Sydney, accept that changg homosexualy may be impossible by natural means. So while ex-gay groups attempt to monstrate the scientific grounds for their methods, evince-based opposn to the ex-gay movement will not be succsful. Ex-gay methods are ultimately not ground science, but spirual sourc of change not amenable to verifitn through scholarly methods.