Democrats seeking to outlaw therapy for gays becoming straight
Liberals are perfectly happy if boys decide to be girls or boys decide to become homosexual. But they are definitely not happy with boys, or girls, who decide they don't like being homosexual and want help becoming normal again, and so liberals want to outlaw so-called "conversion therapy."
Democratic lawmakers this week introduced a bill that would ban the practice of "conversion therapy," treatments that historically have targeted the LGBT community and claim to be able to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2017 was introduced Tuesday by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), along with Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.). About 70 other members of Congress, all Democrats, have said they support the bill, which would allow the Federal Trade Commission to classify conversion therapy and its practitioners as fraudulent.
Conversion therapy, also referred to as "reparative therapy" or "ex-gay therapy," purports to be able to change a person's sexual orientation. Highly controversial, the practice has been decried by dozens of mental health, medical and LGBT rights groups as harmful and misleading.
So changing one's gender, which is an impossibility, is something we should pretend is possible, but changing sexual orientation, which we have seen time and time again, is harmful and misleading. I remember that Ellen once had a lover named Anne Heche, who dated Steve Martin when she thought she was heterosexual. Then she dated Ellen when she thought she was a lesbian. Then she left Ellen for a man who not only wore men's clothing, like Ellen, but also had a man's body parts. This switching back and forth is not uncommon, and some people want therapy to help them become heterosexual. Why is this wrong, but cutting off your penis and growing breasts if you're a man who "thinks" he is a girl is considered healthy?
Seven states and the District of Columbia have successfully passed legislation to ban or restrict conversion therapy in some way. California was the first to do so, banning the practice outright in 2012; others are New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont and, just this month, New Mexico. Although New York does not have an outright ban, the state effectively prohibits conversion therapy through administrative regulations.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie became the first Republican governor to sign a state bill banning conversion therapy for minors.
It's funny how they ban "conversion" therapy, but they don't ban treatments that persuade people to become homosexuals. These treatments are administered not by psychologists, but rather by schools, which teach, in their curricula, how wonderful being a homosexual is and encourage students to try it.
Eventually, Democrats will get their way, and helping people who want to be heterosexual will be a crime. Just as Democrats are making it a crime to keep boys out of girls' bathrooms.
Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.