Tag Archives: ex-gay torture

The Associated Press reports: Gov. Andy Beshear spoke against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and supported a ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth during a historic appearance at a gay-rights rally Wednesday at Kentucky’s Capitol. Beshear became Kentucky’s first sitting governor to attend a rally staged by the Fairness Campaign in the Capitol Rotunda, a few …

Via press release from Christian Newswire: Southern California Christian pastor has appealed a NY federal judge’s decision to dismiss his sexual orientation and religious discrimination case against Vimeo. Tyler & Bursch, LLP has filed the appeal today on behalf of Pastor Jim Domen, a “former” homosexual, and Church United, the religious non-profit organization founded by Domen. “This case is significant …

CNN reports: Oklahoma’s state House of Representatives has advanced a bill that would ban so-called “conversion therapy,” a widely rejected practice that seeks to change the sexuality of LGBTQ individuals, for minors. The “Youth Mental Health Protection Act” moved past committee with bipartisan support and will soon move to the full legislature for a vote. Efforts to ban conversion therapy …

Courthouse News reports: The constitutionality of South Florida bans on juvenile gay conversion therapy is hanging in the balance in the 11th Circuit, where attorneys jousted Tuesday over whether the bans violate therapists’ free speech rights. At issue is a lawsuit filed by two therapists challenging local laws that prohibit them and other licensed counselors from performing gay conversion therapy …

Cleveland.com reports: A new bill in the Ohio House would ban conversion therapy — programs intended to end same-sex attraction and make a gay person straight. The conversion therapy bill is sponsored by Rep. Mary Lightbody, a Columbus-area Democrat. “Human beings are complex, and each individual is unique,” Lightbody said in a statement. “As children grow, we all learn about …

From hate group leader Mat Staver: Over 80 State and local governments have passed laws which effectively force people into an LGBT lifestyle. Liberty Counsel is representing some of the victims of these morally shocking and deeply unconstitutional laws, and I will personally be arguing one of our cases before a federal Court of Appeals on February 11. Imagine that …

The Sydney Morning Herald reports: A former Uniting Church minister who also ran one of the country’s most prominent gay conversion therapy programs has been charged with committing historical child sexual offences more than 30 years ago. Former Reverend Ron Charles Brookman, 70, faced a Sydney court on Tuesday over allegations he indecently assaulted a 13-year-old who was in his …

Louisville’s ABC News affiliate reports: 12th District Republican Senator, Alice Forgy Kerr, is a member of the conservative majority, not necessarily someone you’d expect to be behind a movement like Senate Bill 85. SB 85 would ban conversion therapy in Kentucky. “I think it’s religion gone bad”, said Senator Kerr. That coming from a Sunday school teacher and mother of …

The Washington Post reports: The Virginia Senate on Tuesday passed a host of LGBT rights bills as Democrats continued to flex their new power in the Capitol. The Senate voted to ban conversion therapy on children, repeal the state’s now-defunct ban on same-sex marriage and establish statewide policies for the treatment of transgender students. The chamber also voted to replace …

Ben Winslow reports at Salt Lake City’s Fox affiliate: A rule banning conversion therapy on LGBTQ children has gone into effect, making Utah the 19th state to ban the practice. Governor Gary Herbert’s office confirmed to FOX 13 that the administrative rule went into effect on Tuesday night. The governor’s office declined to comment any further on it. Last year, …

Bloomberg Law News reports: Vimeo Inc. defeated a lawsuit by a self-described “former homosexual” who accused the video hosting website of discrimination after it removed his videos discussing sexual orientation conversion efforts, according to a Wednesday ruling by the Southern District of New York. James Domen’s lawsuit, which raised discrimination claims under New York and California law, is preempted by …

The Independent reports: LGBT+ conversion therapy could soon be banned across Canada after Justin Trudeau made this one of the priorities for his new government. In a letter to the country’s justice secretary on Friday, the prime minister stated that banning the controversial practice of attempting to forcibly change people’s gender or sexuality must be a “top priority”. He said …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and LGBTQ advocates have coalesced around a proposed ban on “conversion therapy” for minors. Gov. Gary Herbert on Tuesday evening announced that groups involved in the emotional debate have finally agreed on language that would prohibit the discredited practice. The proposed professional licensing rule for therapists and …

Via press release from hate group leader Mat Staver: Liberty Counsel has filed the Opening Brief asking the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the district judge’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction against Maryland’s harmful counseling ban. In Doyle v. Hogan, Liberty Counsel represents Christopher Doyle [photo], a licensed professional counselor in Virginia …

From the American Medical Association: AMA supports state and federal bans on conversion therapy The AMA will develop model state legislation and advocate for federal legislation to ban so-called reparative or conversion therapy for sexual orientation or gender identity. The support for legislative bans strengthens AMA’s long-standing opposition to this unscientific practice. The AMA heard testimony, including first-hand accounts, regarding …

Deutsche Welle reports: German Health Minister Jens Spahn unveiled a draft law on Monday that largely bans “conversion therapy” for LGBT+ people. The practice will be completely banned for all youths under the age of 18, the newspapers of the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) reported, citing a copy of the draft law. The law stops short of a complete ban, however, …

The Associated Press reports: A proposed conversion therapy ban in Utah is in danger of being derailed after The Church of Jesus of Christ of Latter-day Saints came out in opposition, just months after it said it wouldn’t stand in the way of a similar measure under consideration. The church said in a statement that the regulatory rule prohibiting Utah …

During last week’s CNN town hall on LGBTQ issues, Beto O’Rourke spoke out against so-called conversion therapy. “As president, we will seek to outlaw it everywhere in this country. In my opinion, this is tantamount to torture. Torture that we’re visiting on children who are absolutely defenseless. We’re going to make sure that whatever the penalty is, it is steep …

Just in from Equality Florida: Today, a federal trial court departed from numerous Florida and national rulings by striking down Tampa’s protections against conversion therapy for minors. Plaintiffs and the extremist, far-right Liberty Counsel brought the Vazzo v. City of Tampa lawsuit seeking to subject minors to the widely discredited and dangerous practice of conversion therapy. “This is a harmful …

Via press release from hate group leader Mat Staver: Liberty Counsel was in federal court today seeking to permanently block a city of Tampa ordinance which defies the Constitution, violates the First Amendment, and barges into the sacred trust between counselor and client. The Tampa ordinance intervenes between counselor and client. It prohibits licensed counselors from giving talk therapy to …