Jury Rules That Gay ‘Conversion Therapy’ Is A Fraud, Says ‘Gay Cure’ Is Snake Oil


A jury in New Jersey made an unprecedented ruling on Thursday which could ban gay “conversion therapies” in the state. The therapies are aimed at teaching individuals to repress their homosexual desires and live a heterosexual life. The jury found that a gay conversion therapy offered by Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH) was not scientifically-backed and that its claims to cure homosexuality violated the Consumer Fraud Act.

The New York Times reports that a number of states, including New Jersey, have banned parents from sending their child to a gay conversion programs and banned licensed therapists from performing the controversial therapies. However, prior to the jury ruling on Thursday, adults were still able to seek assistance from unlicensed “therapists” in regards to gay conversion options.

With the latest ruling, unlicensed gay conversion therapists and programs will now face potential legal ramifications for false advertising of their services, as well as bear financial responsibility for any harm a patient may experience in the program. Attorney Sam Wolfe notes that the verdict should be seen as a warning to anyone performing the “discredited” therapy.

“It’s a warning to conversion therapists everywhere that by practicing this discredited therapy, they are making themselves liable for the harm they cause.”

New York Magazine notes that the gay conversion program is based on the assumption that homosexuality is the result of a childhood trauma and can be cured. However, the jury ruled that the therapy was not based on science and that there are no statistics to back up the programs claim of a 65 to 75 percent “success” (converting homosexual men to straight men) rate.

Instead, it seems the jury felt the “conversion therapy” was snake oil, and that the program has been discredited by therapists and the medical community. In fact, some believe that the conversion program can cause emotional harm and leave a patient scarred, possibly even turning patients of the therapy against their parents.

David Dinielli, an attorney for the plaintiffs in the New Jersey case, notes that the ruling is a step forward for the LGBT community, as the controversial therapies perpetuate the idea that homosexuality is something that needs to be cured or fixed.

“This is a momentous event in the history of LGBT rights. The same lies that motivate gay conversion therapy motivate homophobia — that gay people are broken and need to be fixed.”

What do you think about the gay conversion therapy ruling? Should adults be able to enter a controversial program such as the Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH)? If the conversion program does not claim to be based on scientific research are they free from this type of ruling?

[Image Credit: Getty Images/ Justin Sullivan]

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