California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
So, this isn’t at all controversial...
California Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) has introduced a bill, which passed the State Senate, banning “ex-gay” therapy for minors. I really debated whether or not to even address the issue, but I think it’s worthy of discussion, largely because I think the debate -- at least in the California Senate -- is rather one sided.
Note Sen. Lieu’s statements here:
“The entire medical community is opposed to these phony therapies. Everyone agrees that this quackery needs to stop.”
And the American Psychological Association’s (APA) take on it here;
“The potential risks of ‘reparative therapy’ are great, including depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior, since therapist alignment with societal prejudices against homosexuality may reinforce self-hatred already experienced by the patient.”
I love the line that includes “ since therapist alignment with societal prejudices,” because the statement itself is prejudicial.
However, is there really unanimous consent on the matter? Not exactly, The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), which has about 50,000 members,
“...supports reparative therapy, ‘on biblical, ethical and legal grounds’ for patients ‘with a genuine desire to be set free of homosexual attractions”… The goal is ‘heterosexual relations and marriage or lifelong sexual celibacy.”
Christopher Rosik from The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality called the California Senate vote:
"...another triumph of political activism over objective science' and his organization maintains the measure 'transfers the oversight of proper psychological care from mental health professionals and licensing boards into the hands of politicians.”
I understand that history does not always look kindly on the psychological community (e.g., eugenics) and scrutiny of California therapy isn't completely without merit either. It did give us Primal Scream Therapy, and the better parts of the movie Serial where,
"It's the end of the 70s. Hippies are assimilating, women are raising their consciousness, and men are becoming confused and ineffectual."
It also gave me memories of family reunions in northern California where relatives would share all their feelings, at completely inappropriate times. Some things you can't unhear.
But, in my opinion, this is a choice issue. If my child wants to seek out counseling, for whatever reason, that is not the government’s business. Shouldn't that decision be between a therapist, a patient and -- in the case of a minor -- a parent?
Is there really no merit in this kind of therapy? I think it’s worthy of debate.
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Comments:
May '11
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
Freedom is double unplus good. Only right thinking is allowed.
Nov '10
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
All I can really say, even though it sounds so stupid to say it, is "Whatever..."
May '11
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
There is a place to debate the effectiveness of any sort of therapy for any sort of perceived ailment but if there is a worst place to have that debate than the California legislature I would like to know where that place is.
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
Here's a fun little game. Replace the phrase "the effectiveness of any sort of therapy for any sort of perceived ailment" in the quote above with anything and it will still be true.
May '10
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
I thought about this when Michele Bachmann's husband was under attack in the primary race. How can you be "loud and proud" for transgendered people's choice to seek reassignment (therapy, meds, surgery) yet deny people the choice for ex-gay therapy? One can be a man trapped in a woman's body, but not a straight trapped in a gay mind? You are free to change in one case, but not the other. It makes no sense to me. I wonder how the Senator feels about parents providing therapy and hormones to transgendered minors.
Jul '11
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
The vast majority of this type of therapy is truly misguided and ridiculous considering it is based on the fallacy that homosexuality is a 100% choice. This belief system among evangelicals is also coupled with genuine concern about the eternal soul of those who choose to express their desire to be an active gay person.
The problem of course is that this law is being proposed by the rabid homosexual lobby which instead of wanting to be left alone seeks to recruit as many sexually confused kids in to their folds and indoctrinate our youth with discussions of deviant behavior passed off as normal.
Therapy has a role for confused kids. We have many of those in our morally bankrupt society.
Telling a young gay person they should live a lie or go to hell is cruel and while I disagree with this law I agree with it's theory.
Jan '11
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
A.D.P. Efferson:
But, in my opinion, this is a choice issue. If my child wants to seek out counseling, for whatever reason, that is not the government’s business. Shouldn't that decision be between a therapist, a patient and -- in the case of a minor -- a parent?
As a good libertarian, I think I have to agree with this, however reluctantly. And, as Troy says, the idea that the CA legislature 1) is competent to judge in such a thing and 2) has nothing better to do, beggars belief.
That said, I invite anyone who supports ex-gay therapies to read this letter. It's by a young woman who -- under well-intentioned advice from her friends and congregation -- stayed in a romantic relationship with a man who was gay because they thought he could be "cured." The false promises nearly ruined their lives.
May '10
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
"... largely because I think the debate -- at least in the California Senate -- is rather one sided."
Well, Duh! Everything in California, especially political topics, and most especially liberal political topics, is one sided. Political events in California are hardly worth the effort to think about any more.
May '10
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
These are people who believe one's psychology is utterly fixed and any attempt to change it brings frightening risks. However, one's bodily organs are completely plastic and that any and all attempts to turn them into something that they are not must be celebrated because it is destined to succeed 110% of the time.
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
This is my frustration as well. I suspect it is because the APA and others like them don't treat homosexuality as a choice. So their professional position is, this isn't something you fix. Unfortunately this absolutism doesn't work so well on the individual level, where people are hurting and want help.
Jun '10
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
They're saying, to young people that want to come into conformity with their parents' church, "no you can't. Your church is wrong."
Jul '10
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
I really do hope I'm not Ricochet's token homosexual, but just in case I am, I feel compelled to chime in even though I'm not a member of the People's Republic of California and thusly should't really care too much what they do out there.
In my 32 years of being a homosexual, I've never encountered someone who benefited from reparative therapy but I've known several people who were greatly scarred by it. I couldn't care less what the AACC or Markus Bachmann think about it; all respected, credible psychiatric organizations have disavowed it. It's great at destroying families by fostering a false sense of hope that someone's sexuality can be changed, but it's not actually good for anyone.
Here in NYC, I'm opposed to Bloomberg's intrusions into personal freedoms but my drinking a 32oz soda is a little bit different than my (or as is mostly the case) my family's pursuing a course of "therapy" that will scar me for the rest of my life.
Oct '10
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
I wonder how much of this is driven by a desire to make homosexuality legitimate by forcing people, via political correctness, to believe that it's simply another alternative lifestyle without consequences. Anyone who doubts this faces a deluge of criticism and intimidation. Ramesh Ponnuru writes about a study that doubted the scholarship on gay parents and the effect on children in a recent NR. Even though the study was conducted much more proficiently than the studies promoting gay parenting the author was still vilified.
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
The idea that a legislature could determine what is appropriate or inappropriate when it comes to therapy -- a field that sees diverse treatments work or not work on so many people -- is ridiculous.
If you don't like a particular treatment, don't practice it. Maybe even speak out against it. I actually think a number of therapy approaches are harmful and would be happy to speak out against them. Ban them? No.
By the way, a lot of things get flung under the "reparative" therapy banner, not all therapies that seek to help someone who is same-sex attracted and wishes not to be are the same.
Oct '10
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
With Obamacare I wonder if this will be replicated at the federal level. If they can tell you to buy insurance they can certainly dictate these practices.
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
Jonathan Matthew Gilbert:
Here in NYC, I'm opposed to Bloomberg's intrusions into personal freedoms but my drinking a 32oz soda is a little bit different than my (or as is mostly the case) my family's pursuing a course of "therapy" that will scar me for the rest of my life. · 6 minutes ago
I mentioned above, but far too many therapies are categorized under the same "reparative" label. Reparative therapies are, as you note, not helpful for people who are forced into them.
But for people who have attractions that conflict with other things in their life need therapy options as well.
This is really about giving people as much choice as possible in how they live their lives.
And telling a person who is same-sex attracted -- but doesn't want to be -- that there is no hope for him is just as scarring as forcing a happily same-sex attracted person into reparative therapy.
Either way, this is in no way an appropriate thing for the legislature to handle.
Mar '11
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
Well, as long as it's settled science . . .
Mar '11
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
I am opposed to this law, but I am equally opposed to "pray away the gay" therapy. It is an awkward position, but freedom means the freedom to make the wrong decision.
Putting aside my general prejudice against the therapeutic society as resulting from a contemporary confusion about what constitutes a "disorder", I have not seen compelling evidence to suggest to me that reparative therapy is effective. Moreover, since I think that the homosexual inclination is something that arises in nature, not in convention, I don't think reparative therapy can be a solution.
But, we're talking about minors here. And the basic issue is whether or not parents have rights. Is there an epidemic of parents in California trying to "cure" gayness?
The only logic that you can employ to institute a law like this is that reparative therapy--even if parents (and the child in question?) believe in it!--will damage the child. But if this is to be the basis of law--that is, if we do a study on any parental decision that might have any negative impact whatsoever on children's psychology and then rule those acts illegal--we might as well abolish parenting.
Dec '10
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
Isn't the point of this sort of therapy to specifically control and stop homosexual acts, not the homosexuality itself? If a man goes into therapy to try to control and stop his heterosexual urges so he doesn't cheat on his wife, wouldn't that be similar?
The idea is to control one's actions, not change the nature of one's urges, no?
Therapy isn't going to turn a homosexual straight, nor will it make a straight man stop being attracted to women. It will, the hope is, help control the urges so that one doesn't have to act on them.
Am I getting this right?
I personally don't view homosexuality as a choice and the idea of a life spent repressing and denying some core part of one's person depresses me. But, I suppose from one point of view, you could say that this therapy is no different than the type used to control other urges. I don't necessarily agree, but I can see the point of view.
Frankly, the whole subject makes me uncomfortable.
Edited on August 2, 2012 at 9:16pmMay '10
Re: California Set To Ban Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors
A.D.P. Efferson
I suspect it is because the APA and others like them don't treat homosexuality as a choice. So their professional position is, this isn't something you fix.
Actually, I agree with the APA that homosexuality isn't a choice. That is why I drew the comparison with transgender issues. Being born male/ female is not a choice either. I suspect the opinion that it is ok to "fix" gender but not orientation comes more from the idea Fredosphere alluded to above...that our bodies are our property, not ourselves.