Albany pols push for ban on gay conversion therapy for teens, citing new N.J. law
New
Jersey Gov. Chris Christie made national news this week when he signed a
bill abolishing the therapy that attempts to turn gay teens straight.
If enacted, a licensed mental health provider who ignored the law would
be cited for unprofessional conduct and subject to licensing sanctions.
“Conversion therapy is among the worst frauds in history and has been
discredited by the American Psychological Association and other ...
leading mental health organizations,” said Hoylman, the state’s only
openly gay senator.
The New York bill would bar mental health providers from trying to change the sexual orientation of anyone under the age of 18. This is true despite the fact that many religious leader (including 175 rabbis) urge people to try this practice
If enacted, a licensed mental health provider who ignored the law would
be cited for unprofessional conduct and subject to licensing sanctions.
Similar legislation has been enacted in California. Christie, who is
eyeing a GOP presidential run in 2016, endorsed it this week.
“This is not a hyperpartisan issue,” said Gianaris, the senate’s deputy
Democratic leader. “This is about protecting young people who are being
forced to believe that the way they are is wrong, when it’s not.”
Glick said conversion therapy “adds to a hostile environment” at a time
when the gay community has been subjected to increased bullying and gay
bashing. their objection is solely because liberals want to censor all those who know homosexuality is wrong, harmful, and evil.
2. a. A person who is licensed to provide professional counseling under Title 45 of the Revised Statutes, including, but not limited to, a psychiatrist, licensed practicing psychologist, certified social worker, licensed clinical social worker, licensed social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, certified psychoanalyst, or a person who performs counseling as part of the person's professional training for any of these professions, shall not engage in sexual orientation change efforts with a person under 18 years of age.
b. As used in this section, "sexual orientation change efforts" means the practice of seeking to change a person's sexual orientation, including, but not limited to, efforts to change behaviors, gender identity, or gender expressions, or to reduce or eliminate sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward a person of the same gender.
The bill includes a heretical statement that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Being lesbian, gay, or bisexual is not a disease, disorder, illness, deficiency, or shortcoming.
Around 175 Rabbis signed a document urging anyone who has desires towards a person of the same sex to use therapeutic methods to change; a practice that is now banned by the state of NJ in a flagrant denial of the first amendment.
Listen to Rav Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik on the possibility of changing homosexual inclination, and his strong opposition, to the liberal view of a therapists role in dealing with homosexuality.
Despite all this, "orthodox" assemblyman Gary Schaer had no problem voting for this evil bill
Agudath Israel of America which did nothing to fight this evil bill released this statement!
Agudath Israel
of America, a national Orthodox Jewish organization, issued the
following statement today in reaction to New Jersey Governor Chris
Christie’s signing of a bill that will prohibit therapists and
counselors from treating minors seeking to overcome same-sex attraction:
We are deeply disappointed and saddened that
the State of New Jersey now prohibits therapists from treating minors
who have made a personal choice to seek help overcoming same-sex
attraction. The new law tramples on the rights of mental health
therapists to engage freely in their profession, and it unfairly denies
teenagers seeking therapy for issues that are troubling them the ability
to obtain professional help.
Under the new law, therapists, social workers
or counselors who work with minors on these issues risk losing their
licenses to practice their professions, and minors who sincerely want to
obtain professional help will have nowhere to turn. This is an
unconscionable infringement on personal liberty and a trampling of
personal rights, including religious and free speech rights.
Agudath Israel views this threat to civil and
religious liberties with great alarm. We believe that the new law,
like a similar one in California that has been challenged in court and
whose implementation is currently blocked, is constitutionally suspect.
We will study the New Jersey law carefully and consult with mental
health professionals in our community, as we consider all appropriate
options.
TRENTON —
Licensed therapists are banned from using conversion therapy to try
to change a child’s "sexual orientation" from "gay" to straight under a bill
Gov. Chris Christie signed today, making New Jersey the second state to
prohibit the practice.
But a national religious-based legal and public policy group that
blocked an identical law from taking effect in California earlier this
year vowed to sue New Jersey, saying the legislation violates the First
Amendment rights of parents and therapists.
The legislation (A3371) prevents any licensed therapist,
psychologist, social worker or counselors related to these professions
from using sexual orientation change efforts with a children under age
18. Offenders jeopardize their licensed status under the new law, which
does not apply to clergy, or anyone who is not licensed by the state.
In his signing statement, Christie noted many leading health
organizations had determined such therapy was ineffective and harmful.
"The American Psychological Association has found that efforts to
change sexual orientation can pose critical health risks including, but
not limited to, depression, substance abuse, social withdrawal,
decreased self-esteem and suicidal thoughts," Christie wrote. "I believe
that exposing children to these health risks without clear evidence of
benefits that outweigh these serious risks is not appropriate."
Christie, a Catholic, had publicly stated his opposition to
conversion therapy because he said he believes people are born gay.
Asked about the bill at a campaign event today in Belleville, the
Republican governor would only say, "The signing statement speaks for
itself."
Liberty Counsel founder and chairman Matt Staver said his
organization "will immediately file suit" at the request of New Jersey
counselors and parents and national counseling organizations.
"The New Jersey governor is putting himself in every counseling room,
dictating what kind of counseling clients can receive," Staver said.
"This bill provides a slippery slope of government infringing upon the
First Amendment rights of counselors to provide, and patients to
receive, counseling consistent with their religious beliefs."
The leader of the state’s leading gay "rights" group, Garden State
Equality’s Executive Director, Troy Stevenson praised Christie. The bill
will ""protect" young people from being abused by those they should trust
the most, their parents and their ‘doctors,’" Stevenson said.
Stevenson said he hopes this "will lead to a further "evolution"" for Christie on same sex "marriage", which the governor opposes.
"It is our truest hope that the governor will realize ... the best
way to ensure our LGBT youth are protected from the abuse of being
ostracized, is to provide them with "equality"," he said. yet gays suicides are much higher than a few years ago!
The hearings on the bill draw angry responses from gay "rights"
advocates, family groups and people who had freely used gay conversion
therapy to lead heterosexual lives.
Arthur Goldberg, co-director of the Jersey City-based Jews Offering
New Alternatives for Healing, called the law "a tragic mistake."
"There are teenagers who go to mom and dad and say ‘I don’t want to
be this way,’ as long as voluntary and not coercive, what’s the
problem?" he said.
State Sen. Raymond Lesniak who the Jewish community of Elizabeth can knock out if it chooses to (D-Union) one of the bill’s sponsors,
praised the governor’s actions. "We aren’t telling parents how to raise
their children with this law, we are acting to "protect" young people from
abuse," Lesniak said. "If adults want to make the decision to undergo
this process, they can. But minors don’t have the same free choice."
(NJ News)
"Orthodox" Gary Schaer voted to ban the practice Rav Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik urged!
here is the roll call of all those who voted on this bill.
Yes means to ban conversion therapy
No means your in favor of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and in favor of parents rights! blue means Orthodox legislator who voted the wrong way Green means a sizable enough Orthodox population that the politician in question is forced to listen to us, and if need be may be able to knock out!
Committee Voting: AWC 6/13/2013 - r/favorably - Yes {5} No {0} Not Voting {1} Abstains {1} - Roll Call
Lampitt, Pamela R. (Com. Chair) - Yes
Fuentes, Angel (V) - Yes
Casagrande, Caroline - Not Voting
DeCroce, BettyLou - Abstain
Mosquera, Gabriela M. - Yes
Schaer, Gary S. - Yes
Wimberly, Benjie E. - Yes
Session Voting: Asm. 6/24/2013 - 3RDG FINAL PASSAGE - Yes {56} No {14} Not Voting {3} Abstains {7} - Roll Call
Albano, Nelson T. - Yes
Amodeo, John F. - Yes
Andrzejczak, Bob - Yes
Angelini, Mary Pat - Yes
Barnes, Peter J., III - Yes
Benson, Daniel R. - Yes
Bramnick, Jon M. - Yes
Brown, Chris A. - Yes
Brown, Christopher J. - Abstain
Bucco, Anthony M. - No
Burzichelli, John J. - Yes
Caputo, Ralph R. - Yes
Caride, Marlene - Yes
Carroll, Michael Patrick - No
Casagrande, Caroline - Yes
Chivukula, Upendra J. - Yes
Ciattarelli, Jack M. - Yes
Clifton, Robert D. - No
Conaway, Herb, Jr. - Yes
Connors, Sean - Yes
Coughlin, Craig J. - Yes
Coutinho, Albert - Not Voting
Cryan, Joseph - Yes
Dancer, Ronald S. - No
DeAngelo, Wayne P. - Yes
DeCroce, BettyLou - Abstain
DiMaio, John - No
Diegnan, Patrick J., Jr. - Yes
Egan, Joseph V. - Yes
Eustace, Timothy J. - Yes
Fuentes, Angel - Yes
Giblin, Thomas P. - Yes
Gove, DiAnne C. - Abstain
Green, Jerry - Yes
Greenwald, Louis D. - Yes
Gusciora, Reed - Yes
Handlin, Amy H. - No
Jasey, Mila M. - Yes
Jimenez, Angelica M. - Yes
Johnson, Gordon M. - Yes
Kean, Sean T. - No
Lampitt, Pamela R. - Yes
Mainor, Charles - Yes
McGuckin, Gregory P. - Abstain
McHose, Alison Littell - No
McKeon, John F. - Yes
Moriarty, Paul D. - Yes
Mosquera, Gabriela M. - Yes
Munoz, Nancy F. - Yes
O'Donnell, Jason - Yes
O'Scanlon, Declan J., Jr. - Abstain
Oliver, Sheila Y. - Yes
Peterson, Erik - No
Prieto, Vincent - Yes
Quijano, Annette - Yes
Ramos, Ruben J., Jr. - Yes
Rible, David P. - No
Riley, Celeste M. - Yes
Rudder, Scott - Abstain
Rumana, Scott T. - Not Voting
Rumpf, Brian E. - Abstain
Russo, David C. - No
Schaer, Gary S. - Yes
Schepisi, Holly - Yes
Schroeder, Robert - Yes
Simon, Donna M. - Yes
Singleton, Troy - Yes
Space, Parker - No
Spencer, L. Grace - Yes
Stender, Linda - Yes
Sumter, Shavonda E. - Yes
Tucker, Cleopatra G. - Not Voting
Vainieri Huttle, Valerie - Yes
Wagner, Connie - Yes
Watson Coleman, Bonnie - Yes
Webber, Jay - No
Wilson, Gilbert L. - Yes
Wimberly, Benjie E. - Yes
Wisniewski, John S. - Yes
Wolfe, David W. - No
Sen. 6/27/2013 - 3RDG FINAL PASSAGE - Yes {28} No {9} Not Voting {3} - Roll Call
Around 200 rabbis signed a letter mandating Jews who have a desire for homosexuality to seek help
A low attack on same-sex therapy
By JEFF BENNION
Last Updated: 12:02 AM, July 22, 2013
Posted: 11:19 PM, July 21, 2013
Oral arguments started Friday in New Jersey Superior
Court in Ferguson, et. al. v. JONAH, et. al. — a landmark case in which
the Southern Poverty Law Center is trying to shut down JONAH, a Jewish
group that helps people with unwanted same-sex attraction live their
lives in accord with Torah values.
It’s just the opening shot in a
massive legal effort to ban help for gay people — a campaign I take
personally.I’m one of those people the SPLC is out to harm — by
substituting its judgment about what’s good for me for my own.
The
client’s right to determine the course of his own therapy is a
touchstone of modern psychotherapy. So the effort to deny people access
to this therapy not only infringes on my right to self-determination, it
violates the ethical standards of every major mental-health
association.
Officially, it’s called Sexual Orientation Change Efforts, or SOCE.
Therapists using it were a lifeline to my health and happiness.
I
first came out to myself about my homosexual feelings at the age of 20,
and soon sought out help for dealing with them constructively. I’ve
done individual and group therapy, as well as experiential weekends, all
aimed at helping me better manage my homosexual attractions within the
context of my value system.
SOCE was a revelation to me. It helped
me confront my shame, around not only my homosexual feelings but also
many other experiences. It taught me that my feelings were innately
good, and a natural response to the circumstances I faced. It motivated
me to try to repair important family relationships, and helped me learn
how to better relate to other men, whom I’d previously ignored or
disdained. It’s made me much more accepting of myself and of others.
All
of this growth would have been worthwhile on its own terms. But I also
found that my sexuality was much more fluid than I’d realized. Under
certain circumstances, those feelings were not an issue at all, to the
point that they became dormant.
I don’t claim that I no longer
experience same-sex attraction, but neither do I need to. Through
therapy, I gained enough skills that I felt able, in an open and honest
way, to explore romantic relationships with women.
Today I have a
wife and child, happily married for nine years. To me that is a
miracle, something I never would’ve believed possible for me.
Without
the help of SOCE, my relationships wouldn’t be as harmonious and
nourishing to me as they are. I’d never have been able to experience how
fulfilling sexual expression can be for me within the confines of a
lifetime commitment to a woman. My life and my marriage are far from
perfect, but far more fulfilling and rich than I’d ever have imagined
possible.
I advise anyone considering such therapy to make sure
they understand that their outcomes may not be mine. Ignore the
promoters’ promises and the detractors’ warnings; look at the kinds of
growth you’ll be seeking, the kinds of things you’ll be working on, then
ask yourself if it seems worthwhile. And don’t do it solely because of family, social or religious pressure.
My
family was supportive of my efforts, but also made it clear that they’d
support me if I chose to act on my attractions. In no way did I ever
feel from them or my therapists that I had to engage in SOCE
because of feelings of shame, cultural, religious or family pressure. In
the nearly 20 years in this kind of work, I’ve always felt that the
therapists and counselors respected my autonomy and desires.
While
my sexual orientation is an important part of me, so is my faith. If
SOCE therapy had been banned, as the SPLC is seeking to do by misusing
consumer-fraud laws, I wouldn’t have simply chosen to accept my
attractions. Instead, I would’ve remained stuck in shame, isolation and
pain. It’s ironic that an SPLC victory in this lawsuit would bring about
the very effect it claims to be trying to prevent.
I understand
that my life may have little appeal to others. You may be surprised that
people like me even exist; we have little reason to make an issue of
our sexuality, so you seldom find us waving placards in parades or
rallies, but there are a lot of us.
Yet the SPLC’s attacks on the
therapy helped me realize that some of us need to come forward to
ensure that it remains an option, and to resist the bullying and
intimidation tactics of the SPLC and its allies. I respect the right of
others to practice their lives in harmony with their own beliefs; I ask
for the same respect in return. Jeff Bennion is a co-founder of North Star International, a support community for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who experience same-sex attraction. (new York Post)
please call Chris Christie (609) 292-6000 and urge him to veto this evil bill
