The Supreme Court has been asked to look into a ban on conversion therapy – the practice of attempting to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
A Conservative Supreme Court
Conversion therapy is known to be ineffective and, perhaps more importantly, deeply traumatic. As such, the practice is banned for minors in around half of the states in the U.S. However, the Supreme Court has become more conservative in recent years and it’s now more sympathetic to the idea of “religious freedom” coming above the rights of others.
Free Speech and Religious Rights
Brian Tingley, from Washington State, is a licensed family counselor. Tingley is claiming that the state’s ban on conversion therapy for minors violates his free speech and religious rights. Speaking to the Supreme Court, he said the law “forbids” him from “speaking, treating his professional license as a license for government censorship.”
LGBTQ+ Mental Health
Conversion therapy is known to increase the risk of depression and Self-harm for LGBTQ+ people. Moreover, Washington’s law only applies to licensed therapists who are regulated by the state, not churches or religious groups.
A Dangerous Practice
Laurel Stine, chief policy officer for the American Foundation for ******* Prevention, said: “This is a dangerous practice. The Supreme Court has not taken up any of these challenges before and we are confident that, if they do, we will win.”
Freedom of Speech in the Workplace
As Stine noted, similar challenges haven’t been heard by the Supreme Court in the past. Despite this, those looking for conversion therapy to be legalized have pointed out that the court recently handed down a decision with the potential to strengthen freedom of speech workplace protections.
A “Censorship” Law
Alliance Defending Freedom, the “religious rights” group representing Tingley, has filed multiple successful religious appeals in the past. “Bottom line – the government cannot censor a counselor’s speech. Washington’s counseling censorship law violates freedom of speech and harms counselors and their clients,” John Bursch, a senior member of the group, said.
Religion vs. Humanity
Given the conservative nature of the current Supreme Court, religious people have had a fair few wins in recent years. Religious protections have been put above LGBTQ+ rights and the freedom of queer people has been minimized to make way for more “religious freedom.”
The Case of Lorie Smith
One high-profile example came last year when Lorie Smith – a web designer – refused to make websites for same-gender weddings because of her homophobic beliefs, which she justified with religion. She was also represented by Alliance Defending Freedom and, astoundingly, she won.
Justice Neil Gorsuch
In regard to Smith’s case, Justice Neil Gorsuch said: “Laws along these lines have done much to secure the civil rights of all Americans. But in this particular case, Colorado does not just seek to ensure the sale of goods or services on equal terms. It seeks to use its law to compel an individual to create speech she does not believe.”
An Archaic Practice
Critics of conversion therapy rightfully say that science is on their side. Numerous medical groups have rejected the archaic practice, including the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association.
Unprofessional and Unscientific
Casey Pick works for the Trevor Project, a group focused on preventing taking ones own life among LGBTQ+ youth. She said: “There is no reason the [Supreme] Court should not [uphold the ban] here and ensure that LGBTQ young people across the country continue to be protected from unprofessional, unscientific, and deeply harmful practices.”
The Internet’s Response
News of Tingley’s efforts was shared across the internet and people flocked to comment sections to share their views. Most people criticized him, pointing out that “religious freedom” refers to the right to practice one’s religion without government interference, not the right to harm and traumatize children under the guise of faith.
Imposing Beliefs on Others
While most people, including Christians, condemned Tingley and his efforts, some people did defend him from time to time. These individuals appeared to believe that “religious freedom” transcends the aforementioned definition and gives people the right to impose their beliefs on others.
The Words of Jesus
One social media commenter wrote: “Religious freedom does not give you the right to drive children to Self Harm. Stop being so hateful. Reread your Bible and actually listen to the words of Jesus. I fear, at this rate, Christianity will be entirely lost soon.”
A Terrifying Story
Another person said: “I knew a girl whose parents gave her electroshock ‘therapy’ at age 8 to keep her straight. I told her not to introduce her folks to me or I’d lose it and call them out for being [terrible people]. [Screw] this traitor’s court and [screw] these fascists.”
A Therapist’s Opinion
A therapist weighed in too. They wrote: “I’m a therapist who also has a research background in mental health for LGBTQ populations. There is plenty of research to indicate that sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts cannot change a person’s attractions or gender identity and are psychologically harmful, including raising the risk that a young person subjected to this so-called therapy will attempt *******.”
First Do No Harm
The therapist continued: “No therapist following the ethics code would practice this because our primary ethical principle is ‘first do no harm.’ Many people practicing conversion therapy are not actually licensed therapists but there are definitely many licensed therapists who still practice this too. Bans on conversion therapy are akin to a state banning any known harmful practice from consumers, as well as protecting against consumer fraud since conversion therapy cannot change a person’s attractions or gender identity as advertised.”
A Vile Opinion
While the vast majority of commenters condemned conversion therapy, people did defend it from time to time. One such commenter said: “While I would never subject my children to conversion therapy myself, I believe it should be legal for minors. Not just because of religious freedom, but because of parental rights too. I do not believe it is as harmful as the left makes it out to be.”
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