NJ governor signs ban on gay conversion therapy
ANGELA DELLI SANTI, AP
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill Monday barring licensed therapists from trying to turn gay teenagers straight, making New Jersey the second state to ban so-called
conversion therapy, along with California.
The
bill passed both houses of the New Jersey Legislature with bipartisan
support in June. Assemblyman Tim Eustace, who sponsored the bill and is
openly gay, described the therapy as
"an insidious form of child abuse."
In
a note accompanying the bill, Christie said he believes people are born
gay and that homosexuality is not a sin. That view is inconsistent with
his Catholic faith, which teaches that
homosexual acts are sins.
The
Republican governor also said the health risks of trying to change a
child's sexual orientation, as identified by the American Psychological
Association, outweigh concerns over the
government setting limits on parental choice.
"Government should tread carefully into this area," he said in the note, "and I do so here reluctantly."
"However,
I also believe that on the issues of medical treatment for children we
must look to experts in the field to determine the relative risks and
rewards," Christie said, citing
a litany of potential ill effects of trying to change sexual
orientation, including depression and suicide. "I believe that exposing
children to these health risks without clear evidence of benefits that
outweigh these serious risks is not appropriate."
(this
is a bold move on Christie’s part but sets him up nicely as moderate
voice of reason which could translate to lot of political captial)
Gay rights activists applauded the ban but pushed for more.
"It
is our truest hope that the governor will realize, as the majority of
the legislature and a super-majority of the pubic have realized, that
the best way to ensure lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender youth are protected from the abuse of being ostracized is
to provide them with equality," Troy Stevenson, executive director of
the state's largest gay rights group, Garden State Equality, said in a
statement.
Christie
previously vetoed gay marriage legislation. He has said he supports the
state's civil union law, which was enacted to give gay couples the
benefits of marriage but not the title.
Gay couples have since sued, claiming that the law provides unequal
treatment to same-sex couples. Their lawyers say the U.S. Supreme Court
ruling granting federal benefits to gay married couples strengthens
their case in state court, while Christie administration
lawyers say the federal government should recognize the state's civil
union law as the equivalent to marriage. A trial court decision is
expected next month.
Gay
rights groups say the practice of conversion therapy is damaging to
young people because it tells them that it's not acceptable to be
whoever they are.
Some
social conservatives framed the debate as a parental rights issue,
saying a ban on the counseling would limit the ability of parents to do
what they think is best for their children.
The
idea of conversion therapy is an old one that has increasingly drawn
criticism for its methods. Last year, four gay men sued a Jersey City
group for fraud, saying its program included
making them strip naked and attack effigies of their mothers with
baseball bats.
Lawmakers
heard horror stories from some during hearings on the ban, including
Brielle Goldani of Toms River, who testified she underwent electric
shocks and was given drugs to induce
vomiting after being sent to an Ohio camp at age 14 to become straight.
But,
they also heard from Tara King, a Brick-based counselor, who said she
should be allowed to "fix" what patients, even under-aged clients, want
fixed.
( and if the kids truly desired straightness they
wouldn’t need “therapy” to get it, if they had any choice about it at
all. And since I can’t choose to be gay I can only assume gay kids can’t
choose to be straight.)
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