California 1st state to ban gay conversion therapies for teens

[Tender Branson]

California has become the first state to ban the use for minors of disputed therapies to “overcome” homosexuality, a step hailed by gay rights groups across the country that say the therapies have caused dangerous emotional harm to gay and lesbian teenagers.

“This bill bans nonscientific ‘therapies’ that have driven young people to depression and suicide,” Gov. Jerry Brown said in a statement on Saturday after he signed the bill into law. “These practices have no basis in science or medicine, and they will now be relegated to the dustbin of quackery.”

The law, which is to take effect on Jan. 1, states that no “mental health provider” shall provide minors with therapy intended to change their sexual orientation, including efforts to “change behaviors or gender expressions, or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same sex.”

The law was sponsored by State Senator Ted W. Lieu and supported by a long list of medical and psychological societies, as well by state and national advocates for gay rights. Also speaking up for the ban were former patients who described emotional scars they said they were left with after being pushed into the therapy by their parents and finding that they could not change their sexual orientation or did not want to.

But some therapists and conservative religious leaders who promote methods that they say can reduce homosexual desire have condemned the new law as a violation of free choice. They say that it will harm young people who want to fight homosexual attractions on religious or other grounds and warn that it will lead more people to seek help from untrained amateurs.

The use of harsh aversion techniques, like electric shock or nausea-inducing drugs, to combat homosexual desires has largely disappeared. But during the last three decades, some psychologists have refined a theory of “reparative therapy,” which ties homosexual desires to emotional wounds in early childhood and, in some cases, to early sexual abuse.

These therapists say that with proper treatment, thousands of patients have succeeded in reducing their homosexual attraction and in enhancing heterosexual desire, though most therapists acknowledge that total “cures” are rare. But their methods have come under growing attack from gays who say the therapy has led to guilt, hopelessness and anger.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/01/us/california-bans-therapies-to-cure-gay-minors.html

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Ok cool. Now when are they going to get their marriage back?

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Ok cool. Now when are they going to get their marriage back?

If the Supreme Court doesn't take the Prop. 8 case, then the answer is this year.

[memphis]

The nutters will scream religious discrimination. You can take that to that bank.

[Torie]

The nutters will scream religious discrimination. You can take that to that bank.

Yes, but practicing child abuse as a theology is outside the zone of the First Amendment. I refer all to that certain community in Colorado City, Arizona. Their leader went to jail for practicing his theology. F'ing the brain can be just as bad if not worse than the F'ing of the erogenous zones.   

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Alas California isn't the state that needs to ban this to shut it down.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

How do they are enforce this? Are they going to listen in on therapy sessions?

[memphis]

The nutters will scream religious discrimination. You can take that to that bank.

Yes, but practicing child abuse as a theology is outside the zone of the First Amendment. I refer all to that certain community in Colorado City, Arizona. Their leader went to jail for practicing his theology. F'ing the brain can be just as bad if not worse than the F'ing of the erogenous zones.   

Colorado City is much more marginalized than people like the Bachmanns, who urge kids to pray the gay away. The right and the left are united in their disgust for setting up men with 12 year old girls in polygamous marriages. A conservative judge might easily overturn this law.

[ingemann]

How do they are enforce this? Are they going to listen in on therapy sessions?

How dó you enforce laws against child abuse?

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

How do they are enforce this? Are they going to listen in on therapy sessions?

How dó you enforce laws against child abuse?

Well, first someone in the community may report on what they see, observe or suspect, which then triggers an investigation by an overloaded social services department. Normal due process may be suspended, and the child may be taken away and put into foster care or group homes, where they are further abused and neglected at high rates.  I'm not sure how that answers my question. Are you suggesting this as a model?

[Badger]

How do they are enforce this? Are they going to listen in on therapy sessions?

How dó you enforce laws against child abuse?

Well, first someone in the community may report on what they see, observe or suspect, which then triggers an investigation by an overloaded social services department. Normal due process may be suspended, and the child may be taken away and put into foster care or group homes, where they are further abused and neglected at high rates.  I'm not sure how that answers my question. Are you suggesting this as a model?

I'm tired, so I'm just going to bad rather than spending the next hour explaining what a misthought post this is.

[後援会]

This is quite literally the most hilariously American article I have ever read.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

How do they are enforce this? Are they going to listen in on therapy sessions?

How dó you enforce laws against child abuse?

Well, first someone in the community may report on what they see, observe or suspect, which then triggers an investigation by an overloaded social services department. Normal due process may be suspended, and the child may be taken away and put into foster care or group homes, where they are further abused and neglected at high rates.  I'm not sure how that answers my question. Are you suggesting this as a model?

I'm tired, so I'm just going to bad rather than spending the next hour explaining what a misthought post this is.

No problem. If you feel like it later, maybe you can help me with my question.

Edit:  sorry ingemann if I was too aggressive in my reply since you were probably just asking an honest question.

[krazen1211]

I thought these libs liked choice and privacy.

[All Along The Watchtower]

I thought these libs liked choice and privacy.

There is no right to abuse people in the Constitution.

But you knew that, and trolled anyway.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Where are most Straight Camps?

[opebo]

This is quite literally the most hilariously American article I have ever read.

In what aspect?  In that few other countries torture children for this particular reason?

[Brittain33]

I thought these libs liked choice and privacy.

If you want to analogize this to abortion, you'll see you have this exactly backward.

[Badger]

How do they are enforce this? Are they going to listen in on therapy sessions?

How dó you enforce laws against child abuse?

Well, first someone in the community may report on what they see, observe or suspect, which then triggers an investigation by an overloaded social services department. Normal due process may be suspended, and the child may be taken away and put into foster care or group homes, where they are further abused and neglected at high rates.  I'm not sure how that answers my question. Are you suggesting this as a model?

I'm tired, so I'm just going to bad rather than spending the next hour explaining what a misthought post this is.

No problem. If you feel like it later, maybe you can help me with my question.

Edit:  sorry ingemann if I was too aggressive in my reply since you were probably just asking an honest question.

in fairness perhaps I should first ask, what do you suggest as a model?

I guess my reaction stems from your response sounding like just a generic stereotyped anti-law enforcement diatribe. I know many children services workers and they do a great job seeking to protect the vulnerable. Ditto for foster parents.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Absolutely there are plenty of good, generous, kind, dedicated people who are foster parents or work in children's welfare in one way or another - I know these people.  They would be the first to say that the system is fundamentally flawed even while there are successes as well.

Yes, I was making a diatribe.  I was focusing on the negative aspect in order to try to make a point, which is the severe consequences that can occur when something is unnecessarily defined as abuse.  For example, I'm against children being subjected to corporal punishment.  But to treat minor instances of that as abuse is going to be end up being more harmful to the child than the corporal punishment itself.  I know this isn't quite the same thing, but this is where I'm coming from in terms of caution towards legislating something as "abuse."  Some instances of gay change techniques can qualify as abuse, but to define it generally as such seems excessive and not especially helpful either.

I looked into the details of this law. The enforcement mechanism seems to be through suit:
SB1172

You must be logged in to read this quote.

The original version of the bill was awful in terms of patient/therapist confidentiality, and so was opposed by the California Psychological Association. This is much more reasonable, and the CPA supported it with some reservations.  
Only licensed mental health practitioners are affected by this law (people can still look for less credentialed places to do this).  I tend to think that the law should focus on those who actively promote sex orientation change.  If a teen comes to a therapist of his own free will and says he wants to try to change, maybe that should be allowed.  The important thing is that the therapy is sensitive and does not degrade him for who he is.  The good thing about this law is that (I think) if a patient or their family doesn't feel like there has been damage, there's no penalty. Still, it could make a therapist a little nervous since there's always a chance for therapy to be misinterpreted or not turn out as planned.