Gay Cure Law Headed To California Governor’s Desk
A gay “cure” law is making its way through the California legislature. If passed, the gay cure law would be the first statute of its kind in the United States. The California laws would make it illegal for parents of minor gay children to attempt to cure their same-sex attraction via mandatory counseling or other similar measures.
Both houses of the California legislature are working out the final language of the gay cure law. The Sexual Orientation Change Effort, also known as SOCE is expected to arrive on Governor Jerry Brown’s desk in September, Fox News report. The gay cure bill was sponsored by California Equality, a gay rights group. SOCE was introduced by State Senator Ted Lieu of Redondo Beach.
“The story detailed the harmful impact on vulnerable minors of this kind of supposed reparative therapy. So when California Equality approached me about introducing a bill to ban that kind of therapy for minors, I jumped at the chance,” Senator Lieu stated in reference to a 2011 newscast about forced gay cure therapy for minors.
There has yet to be any indication from the Democratic California governor’s officer about his feeling on the Sexual Orientation Change Effort legislation.
“The law unconstitutionally prohibits speech, violates privacy and personal autonomy rights, intermeddles in theological disputes, clashes with other laws and creates significant unintended consequences,” Pacific Justice Institute attorney Matt McReynolds stated during an interview with Fox News. “As long as this bill threatens to shame patients and silence counselors, therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists, we will vigorously oppose it. We cannot afford to let the state invade the counseling room or doctor’s office to dictate what views on sexuality are acceptable and unacceptable.”
Supporters of the California SOCE bill see the matter as a civil rights issues. Sexual Orientation Change Effort critics consider the proposed gay curing legislation as an infringement of parental rights and limits the ability of mental health professionals to work with gay youth. The American Psychological Association 2009 Task Force noted sexual orientation change therapy could lead to self-loathing, drug abuse, risky sexual behavior and suicide.
Tags : california, california equity, civil rights, gay cure, governor jerry brown, Same Sex, same-sex marriages, senator ted lieu, sexual orientation change effort, SOCE
Posted: August 18, 2012
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Aug 18, 2012
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Aug 19, 2012
I am gay since I was a teen, I never wanted to be gay, and to me living a gay live never felt right. I wanted to learn how to change and knew that my parents would accept me either way.
I did not know that I could try to change and the media without truly honestly knowing anything about the therapy and what it entails (do u know what it entails? I bet u don't and u already have an opinion, don't u?) has been bashing the therapy for years.
Today I am 30 started the reparative therapy about a year ago and feel great, the therapy is done with out anything cruel. the therapy works for does who want it.
By signing this bill, you taking away the rights of any kid or teen who personally wants to change, and guess what is probably easier to change at that age..
The bill should just ban the therapy when is obviously against the will of the child but not when he obviously wants it!
Aug 20, 2012
Oh, Tommy-youre eitehr a complete fake or you are the saddest person in the world-to self hate for what you were born into-so tragic. You obviously havent seen any good examples of being gay-you are probably surrounded by anti-gay religious sheep who tell you its bad or its a sin-you basiclaly gave up on real love. There is no such thing as an "ex" gay-even Exodus Intl has stated that-you merely suppress and give yourself up to a life of cellibacy or you find a woman with low self esteem who will settle for less than full love. PLEASE do NOT marry a woman and ruin her life-it isnt fair. You can choose your own sad, miserable self hatign life, but do not subject someon else to that! As fot shi bill, it is child abuse and no child should be put through this.
Sep 4, 2012
I emphatically endorse this much-needed protective measure for our LGBTQ youth, having come myself from a generation where countless minors were imprisoned, held in indefinite detention and forced to undergo bogus – and extremely destructive- change "therapies" by homophobic families.
I do however have two issues with this piece of legislation: firstly, it insufficiently penalizes those professionals who contravene it. Loss of a license is far too light a price to pay for destroying someone's life through a forced change of sexual orientation, a crime that has many of the features of rape. A therapist who would conduct themselves thus deserves serious prison time.
Secondly, the bill fails to apply criminal penalties to parents who would subject their offspring to this psychological "rape." I have always opposed capital punishment, but have a difficult time thinking of a penalty too severe to apply to a parent or guardian who would subject their offspring to such an atrocity. Surely their blameworthiness is no less intense than that of the "therapists" whom they employ.