Actually, ABM, not true (surprise!) The law bans so called "reparative therapy" for minors only. An adult can, presumably, decide he/she has enough self-hate to subject him/herself to physical and emotional abuse in hopes of magically becoming straight. True, it doesn't work, but adults have the legal right to do harm to themselves. They no longer have the legal right to subject children to this abuse. I knew some kids who were sent to "reparative therapists". Bad bad scene. Maris talked of electric shock - yes, kids got electric shocks to genitals if they showed sexual interest in same sex. Or just gender nonconforming behavior - a boy who wanted to dance, a girl who like trucks. Girls were raped to "turn them straight". And all were told they were worthless, filthy, doomed to a terrible life and lonely death, hated by god, burning in hell, worse than murderers.
you're confusing promoting hate and banning hate. So yeah, banning hate bad thing to do (creating civil rights, equal rights and the idea/belief we should be treating people as equals) isn't the same as fighting those changes .
It's interesting that in public schools kids can be pulled out and counseled that they are gay and how to be gay- and that's fine. But the reverse isn't. Yeah, that seems fair.
Hmm, I was unaware of kids who identify as being straight getting counseled/cured into being gay. I must have missed that one.
outside of what porkchop said, I think part of it's because schools actually look into studies and have counselors that went to school, studied on how to be a counselor, update their knowledge base on it instead of just being an arm chair pop psychologist who thinks that being the ghey is bad. instead of "fixing" someone to a certain perceived correct template, maybe it's time for conservatives/republicans/whatever to realize that there isn't a "correct template", and that we should counsel people on being OK with who they are as long as they're not doing anything that is illegal. And last time I checked, being gay or having gay thoughts or being confused about your sexuality (in the sense that all you see is people telling you liking a boy is normal, but you like a girl...or all your life you've seen Bill and Marsha, but you feel that it should be Bill and Brent) isn't illegal. strawman defense league sent me this: But than again, this war on christians and christmas and straight white men by the gays and atheists and dog fuckers is a pretty serious thing.
The state has no compelling interest in this, either way. They should spend the money on math, PE, or art classes.
I'm sorry, but trying to 'cure' a minor who identifies as gay into being straight is mental abuse. The state 100% has a compelling interest in that.
Huh, This sounds like the same old mantra a lot of my generation pushed for in the 60s and 70s, Im OK, Your OK, etc etc etc. I sure am glad that I grew the fuck up, and realized that all the free love, peace rallies, zen meditation too hard drugs, did nothing but tear the very fabric of Our society in the long run. Yeah, the mistakes we made still resonate as corner stones of thought,and social programs, to the extreme like occupy.
I'm sure if you only exploit the negative aspects of a generation you're bound to find out that those traits were divisive. There are a lot of positive traits that came out of that era (despite what your paragraph implies). Instead of people bottling up confusion, or anger, or sadness, we talk about it. Not nearly as much as we should, but we do. One thing people (and i include myself in this because I'm not a younger person, I'm almost 40) don't seem to get is that things aren't as they were when we were kids AND we don't remember it the way it actually happened. I look back on stuff I did as a kid and I don't necessarily see it as bullying or demeaning behavior. Calling a kid that was more feminine a "***got" (the F word if that got deleted) was socially acceptable. I didn't think it was bad, but obviously to the guy I went to school with who was called that (and Nancy, Mary, Gaywad) thought it was bad. That's not to say that he hates me or anyone else who I grew up with who called him that. He understands that at the time we didn't know any better AND our society didn't deem it unacceptable behavior. But he's had the experience of growing up and maturing to see it. He's seeing it from the eyes of a 38 year old, not a 9, 10 or 11 year old, desperate to fit in and confused as to why the other boys have crushes on girls but he has a crush on a boy. If someone had told us to be empathetic or sympathetic towards him, I'm sure things would've been easier for him. I'm not sure why stopping people from telling someone they're "wrong" and "need to be fixed" is such a bad thing. I'm not saying anyone here is saying this, but it's an attitude among a lot of people. that "attitude" is ruining the country, or whatever nonsense they want to say. You know whats really ruining the country? We're being manipulated into finding differences among us and claiming thats what the real issue is instead of realizing that we're being used to manipulate each other for the benefit of a few people. It's exactly what the British did in India, pitted people against people to do their dirty work. God forbid we treat each other as we want to be treated, and we tell our children to do the same. I don't want someone telling me who I love is "wrong" or that I can be "fixed", nor do I want someone telling my kids that.
No it doesn't. Counseling is between doctor and patient. Let the AMA or other association of doctors figure it out.
I am now aware of what school or state counsels young people on "how to be gay". Damn, what I missed - I had to figure it out for myself. Denny, doctors have decided. Reparative therapy has been denounced as ineffective and harmful by every medical, psychiatric, and pediatric organization. I think it is entirely appropriate to protect children who are being forced into harm. I mean, seriously, do you oppose laws against beating, starving, tying up, prostituting children? Do you think child abuse should be a crime? Well, "reparative therapy" is child abuse.
If the AMA, APA, and every other medical organization tasked with governing the ethics of their profession forbid it to their members, it is more than sufficient. I have zero belief in the therapy and am quite sure it is harmful. Yet it isn't a legal question or issue. The state can forbid the counsellors it hires from performing any service it chooses. I mean, there are many harmful medical practices that might be performed that aren't outlawed. The AMA does a fine job assuring best practices happen. As well, if the practice is actually malpractice, it is a civil matter. As in sue for damages.
Bingo. I think this therapy is a joke and utterly pointless (who care who loves who?), but I will defend it's right to exist on free speech grounds.
So they'll have priests do it and call it exorcism. The abuse of govt. to make laws against things you find offensive is just not a winning proposition.
is it legal to make your kid smoke a carton of cigarettes locked in the closet? i always heard of people doing that, but that seems like child abuse too
might as well throw in going to bed with out dinner confinment to ones room spanking harsh language dirty looks
did your father ever spank you with a belt? Have you never had a look from him have more impact than a spanking? I have.
