Government's kids, not yours anymore...

California law barring parents from ‘curing’ gay children moves through  legislature

Fox News: A first-of-its-kind state law that would restrict parents from trying to  “cure” their minor children’s same-sex attractions seems headed to the  governor’s desk.

If both state houses can agree on the final language, the legislation, which  would ban all sexual orientation change effort (SOCE) treatment for minors, will  be sent to Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature sometime in September.  But, so far, there has been no indication from his office on whether he will  sign the bill into law.

Whatever the governor does, he’s sure to face criticism. Backers see it as a  civil rights issue, while critics say lawmakers are infringing on not only  parents’ rights but also on the mission of mental health professionals.

“[The law] unconstitutionally prohibits speech…violates privacy and personal  autonomy rights, intermeddles in theological disputes, clashes with other laws  and creates significant unintended consequences,” Matt McReynolds,, a staff  attorney with Sacramento-based Pacific Justice Institute, said. “As long as this bill threatens to shame patients and silence counselors,  therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists, we will vigorously oppose it,”  McReynolds told Fox News. “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.”

Sponsored by a coalition of gay rights groups led by California Equality the  bill was introduced by State Sen. Ted W. Lieu (D-Redondo Beach).  Lieu told  Fox News his interest in the issue was sparked by a news report he saw on  television in 2011. “The story detailed the harmful impact on vulnerable minors of this kind of  supposed reparative therapy,” Lieu said. “So when California Equality approached  me about introducing a bill to ban that kind of therapy for minors, I jumped at  the chance.”

Lieu also cited studies like the American Psychological Association (APA)  2009 Task Force, which reported SOCE therapy could lead to depression, feelings  of shame, self-loathing, drug abuse, high-risk sexual behavior, anger,  withdrawal and in some cases, even attempted suicide in minor children, if those  same-sex attractions continue to persist.

Libertarian and conservative  political and legal groups including McReynolds’ group and the National  Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), a nationwide  group of conservative mental health providers based in Salt Lake City have  blasted the bill.

David Pickup, a Glendale, Calif. therapist said he’s  been a member of NARTH for more than eight years. He told Fox News that he went  through his own SOCE treatment and uses it to treat his patients. Pickup said that although he’s had thousands of sexual interactions with men,  he never identified himself as being gay. “I describe myself as being a heterosexual man with a homosexual challenge,”  Pickup said, adding that after his own SOCE treatment he had feelings for women  and now only experienced attractions towards men “once in a blue moon.”  Pickup claims that SOCE treatments work to varying degrees on “95 percent” of  his patients and he vehemently opposes SB 1172 as a “violation of parental  rights,” and said the law would have a “chilling effect” on the ability of  therapists to treat their patients.

Brad Dacus, president of PJI told Fox News that whether or not the therapy  is viable isn’t for lawmakers to decide. Parents, patients and therapists should  not be dictated to, he said.  “This is really a serious violation of the constitutional rights of patients  and counselors, a violation of privacy and an outright attack on the rights of  parents to decide what is best for their children,” Dacus said.

Lieu  responded to the criticism by pointing out this was a health issue and his bill  was written to protect the health, welfare and rights of minors who were  experiencing same-sex attractions. “We (the government) intervene all the time to restrict the rights of  individuals and parents regarding health issues,” Lieu told Fox News.  “We pass laws saying minors can’t buy tobacco products; anyone under 21 can’t  legally drink alcohol and we force parents to put their very young children into  car seats while they’re driving,” Lieu said.

While public opposition to the bill has been loud and long, it was actually  opposition to portions of the legislation from mainstream mental health  associations that forced Lieu and the bill’s sponsors to amend it.

Today, the bill only bans SOCE treatments for minors, regardless of their  parents’ desires. Initially, the bill’s sponsors had wanted a total ban on SOCE  in the state. Also cut was a provision that subjected mental health providers to  damage claims and civil suits by their former patients and immediate family  members if they violated the law.

But one major sticking point remained. Randall Hagar, Government Affairs director of the California Psychiatric  Association told Fox News the coalition remained opposed because the bill’s  definition of SOCE was “overly broad and could have inhibited minors from  discussing even legitimate issues, fears and concerns about their sexual  identity with their therapists.”

A compromise was finally brokered that enabled the coalition to move to a  neutral position on the bill, Hagar said. In laymen’s terms, Hagar said, SOCE  was defined as any therapy whose sole purpose or aim was to change a person’s  sexual orientation from same-sex to opposite sex attraction.

Banned SOCE treatments would exclude psychotherapies that provide acceptance,  support, and understanding of clients or the facilitation of clients’ coping,  social support and identity exploration and development, including sexual  orientation-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or  unsafe sexual practices and do not seek to change sexual orientation.

Yes, your children at birth and in your home.  Once at school and at the doctor’s office, not so much.

DCG