California Bans Gay "Cure" For Teens
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California has become the first state in the nation to ban therapies designed to change the sexual orientation of young gay teens, the New York Times reported.
California is the first state to ban gay conversion therapy. (Creative Commons/ Guillaume Paumier)
“These practices have no basis in science or medicine, and they will now be relegated to the dustbin of quackery," Gov. Brown said in a statement.
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The bill was sponsored by State Senator Ted W. Lieu of Torrance and supported by gay right's activists, including the Human RIghts Campaign, which submitted a petition to Gov. Brown containing nearly 50,000 signatures urging him to sign the ban.
"LGBT youth will now be protected from a practice that has not only been debunked as junk science, but has been proven to have drastically negative effects on their well-being," said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign.
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The bill also recieved support from the California Psychological Association and the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, according to Reuters.
Some religious and conservative groups still support the practice, however. From the Los Angeles Times:
The bill, SB 1172, was opposed by Republican lawmakers as an intrusion by the state into the decision of parents about how to raise their children. The conservative Pacific Justice Institute has said it will file a lawsuit alleging the measure violates constitutional protections, including the free speech rights of therapists and the right of patients to get access to information.
The law takes effect Jan. 1.
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[View the story "California blazes a gay rights trail." on Storify]
