Oregon will soon become the fourth jurisdiction is the USA to ban conversion therapy for LGBT youth. California, New Jersey, and Washington DC had already banned this very harmful form of therapy for minors. In many cases, it really does amount to torture.
From NCLR:
Today, the Oregon State Senate passed HB 2307, a bill that will protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth from the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy. The bill was overwhelmingly approved by the State House on March 17 and is now heading to the desk of Governor Kate Brown who is expected to sign it into law.
When signed into law, Oregon will become the fourth jurisdiction—behind California, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia—to pass legislation protecting LGBT youth from the serious harms caused by these practices, which have been linked to substance abuse, serious depression, and even suicide.
“This lifesaving law will protect the health and well-being of LGBT youth in Oregon and ensure that licensed mental health professionals cannot abuse their position of trust to do lifelong harm to children and tear families apart. We applaud Basic Rights Oregon and bill champions Rep. Rob Nosse and Sen. Sara Gelser for their unshakeable leadership in guiding this bill through the legislative process, as well as the courageous survivors who testified on its behalf,” said the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) #BornPerfect Campaign Coordinator and Staff Attorney Samantha Ames. “Without their willingness to share their stories, sacrifice their privacy, and at times even come face-to-face with the very unethical therapists responsible for their trauma, this legislation would not have passed. We all owe them an enormous debt of gratitude, one we can only repay by promising we will continue this fight until the day no child knows the devastation of being told they were born anything but perfect.”
And, from
The New Civil Rights Movement:
Lawmakers in the Oregon Senate by a wide majority just passed a bill banning the practice of ex-gay therapy on minors. The vote was 21-8. The Oregon House also passed the same bill, in March, by a strong margin: 41-18. The legislation now heads to Democratic Governor Kate Brown's desk.
So called "ex-gay," "reparative," or "conversion" therapies falsely claim to change a patient's sexual orientation from gay to straight. It also is practiced on transgender people, with no success either.
The therapy has been denounced by nearly every major medical organization in the U.S., and by many worldwide. Aside from being wholly unnecessary, it has been deemed both ineffective and harmful, and can lead to suicide. Often, practitioners claim to perform these gruesome acts in conjunction with religious counseling, and opponents claim bans violate the First Amendment.
Lawsuits against the bans have been lost by opponents every time, with one New Jersey judge stating the practice of ex-gay therapy is actually "fraud."
Recently (earlier this week IIRC), the SCOTUS denied cert. in the conversion therapy case out of New Jersey. The Third Circuit had previously upheld the ban/law. We really need more states to get on board with this type of legislation. It will save lives.