Blog #6 California governor OKs ban on gay conversion therapy, calling it 'quackery'

http://us.cnn.com/2012/10/01/us/california-gay-therapy-ban/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1

California continues to support gay rights with the OK from Jerry Brown, Governor of California, to ban conversion therapy. Therapy that strives to turn gay kids straight will be illegal in California. The state Senate has already passed the legislation in May and signed by Gov. Brown this week and will be in effect January 1^st. The bill prohibits attempts to change sexual orientation of patients under the age of 18. Brown referred to the therapy as “non-scientific that have driven young people to depression and suicide.” On the other side of the controversy, practitioners call it “reparative therapy” that “help children resolve their homosexual feelings and maximize their heterosexual potential” said David Pickup, a spokesman for the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality. Pickup and his group plan to fine a “major lawsuit” this week to challenge the law. He says that American Psychiatric Association doesn’t find any “proof that the therapy causes harm.” However, the APA determined that the reparative therapy poses a great risk, including increasing the likelihood of depression, anxiety and other self-destructive behavior for patients undergoing this type of therapy. Rebakah Orr, spokesman for Equality California, says that this law will protect young people from “junk science” and “ensure that state-licensed therapists can no longer abuse their power to harm LGBT youth”. Pickup continues to make claims defending the therapy by saying homosexuality is a cause-and-effect and that children walk into his office depressed and gender-identity confused and “ask for help voluntarily.” Ryan Kendall shares his personal experience to CNN about this type of therapy. His mom forced him to go to this therapy but Kendall said “I know I’m gay just like I know I’m short and I’m half Hispanic.” George Rekers, a leading reparative therapist, treated a boy and considered it a success and that homosexuality was prevented. The boy’s family said he never stopped being gay and at 38 he hung himself. Rekers still denied that the cause of his death was the reparative therapy. Kendall’s last statement was “it hurts children. It has no basis in fact. And they need to stop.”

Opinion:

I really enjoyed reading this article after learning about inequality of genders and sexuality. Reading this article proves that gender is a social construct. The APA stated in the article that “homosexuality per se is a normal and positive variation of human sexual orientation.” I agree with this statement unlike Pickup’s claims are unscientific and not true. Claiming that the children who attend reparative therapy ask to be changed and helped is a lie. I guarantee that if a survey was performed on these patients most of them would say that they were forced or persuaded to go seek this type of therapy, not by choice. The two stories CNN reported on of the males who had experience with this therapy proved that the therapy is harmful and rebut gay rights. I congratulate Governor Brown for fighting for gay rights. Society needs to change their perception of homosexuality and understand the science and facts behind it.