The Pros And Cons Of Gay Conversion Therapy

Following the declassification of homosexuality as a disease in 1973, a variety of methods have been made in attempts to help members of the LGBT community become

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court Case Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) which nationally legalized same sex marriage, the religious right has felt that protections on religious liberty in this country have gone under attack. As the LGBTQ+ movement gains more traction in mainstream media, local municipalities, and even state governments, many religiously conservative states legislatures have begun to fight back by passing laws that protect a person’s right to discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community because of religious objections. While a person’s right to abstain from participating in a business transaction concerning a same sex marriage has been widely debated (and continues to be widely debate) for some time now, the new anti-transgender

Facts: In 2000, California voters adopted Proposition 22, defining marriage as a relationship only between a man and a woman. The California Supreme Court invalidated Proposition 22 and California began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The Proponents of Proposition 8, who opposed same-sex marriage, collected signatures and filed petitions to get Proposition 8 on the ballot. In November 2008, California voters approved Proposition 8, "which added language to the California Constitution that defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman" (Santoro & Wirth, 2013). Two same-sex couples applied for marriage licenses and were denied, then brought suit under 42 U.S.C.S. ยง 1983, based on the idea that Proposition 8 violated equal protection. The State of California refused to argue in favor of Proposition 8 and the original proponents of Proposition 8 sought to defend the law. In May of 2009, Proposition 8 was ruled unconstitutional by a California District Court, which held that it violated both the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the trial court's decision. The case then came before the Supreme Court. However, the State of California is not defending Proposition 8; instead, a mix of private parties is defending the law. This has led to questions about standing as well as the constitutional issues in the case.

Tocqueville saw America’s problems and knew it would lead to our current state. Tocqueville stated that democracy would lead to individualism and materialism. Today, Americans are apathetic towards many things. Instead of attempting to understand a subject, they don’t want to deal with it. When issues emerge, Americans want the government to take charge and end the debate by passing a law. For example, sexual orientation has been a widely-debated issue. There are two main sides: pro-LGBTQIA+ and those against LGBTQIA+. Those who are against LGBTQIA want the government to step in and make it illegal. But think about how ridiculous it is to outlaw something that is so personal. Sexual orientation does not affect others. People do not bleed every time they meet someone who is gay. Still, they want to control other people’s lives and who they choose to love. Government has taken a bigger role that the founding fathers were against. Government was only supposed to protect and provide for the people. Today, it has a much bigger role in individual’s personal lives. It is taking on the issues of sexual orientation, gender, which bathroom a transgender must use, and much more. These issues are social issues that the government should not be involved in. There is so much more that needs the attention of government officials. For example, the education system, healthcare, tax reform, war, and more. The power we have given government can lead to a tyranny. The more power given to the

Christianity and Judaism also have large groups that support the therapy. The religious purpose of Christian conversion groups are literally just to keep gays from having the same rights as anyone else. Mike Davidson, is a well known gay conversion therapist, and in April 2015, he has an interview with BBC News’ Victoria Derbyshire, and conversion therapy victim, Patrick Strudwick. When asked about how many people he had converted in a year, he deflected the question a lot, but eventually admitted to only have ‘converted’ three people. It is very difficult and rare to find people who have truly been converted to gay or not. Conversion therapy forces the incorrect principle that LGBT youth are wrong for being who they are, which Christian and Judaism organizations do not realize. In 2015, one of the largest jewish gay conversion therapy groups, JONAH, was shut down under a New Jersey law signed by Chris Christie. JONAH was also made to pay $3.5 million in legal fees in an attempt to ‘apologize’ for the damage they caused. JONAH also had a letter in 2012 signed by 200 jewish rabbis that stated they were in support of the conversion therapy movement. In response, the director of a large jewish LGBT group said that he and many others were fearful if the debate about conversion therapy could be discussed logically again under the new U.S. government. There are, of course, the people in

U.S. District Judge David Bunning in a 28-page opinion said that her deeply held Christian beliefs ought not to interfere with the law which has now made the same-sex marriage into a fundamental right.

The anti-sodomy law was then banished and said to be unconstitutional. The case does not involve minors, no people were injured or forced. It did not involve public conduct or display. The court put out the statement that homosexuals have a right to take part in private sexual activity in the privacy of their own home. The court also recognizes that they have sexual and ethical rights and have the right to legal protection. Chief Justice Burger's reviewed the Bowers v. Hardwick case "Condemnation of homosexual practices is that are rooted in Christianity ethical and morals

On June 4, 2008, the plaintiffs in this case include fifteen same-sex couples who wish to marry in California and support groups for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Californians. They were denied many times; however, now before the California Supreme Court, they argue that “California has long led the nation in recognizing that constitutional provisions guaranteeing equal protection, privacy, due process and freedom of association and expression require that lesbian and gay people, like all people, be treated fairly under the law.” Nonetheless these protections, California has denied same-sex couples the right to marry. That denial, they argue, violates the California Constitution.

Out of five key Supreme Court rulings, Obergefell v. Hodges was selected to be evaluated in this piece. The ban on same sex marriage is the law being challenged in the case. According to the case study, “groups of same-sex couples sued their relevant state agencies in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee to challenge the constitutionality of those states' bans on same-sex marriage…” (Oyez, 2014).

The people involved in defending this case was Richard G. Evans and The one against this case was Roy romer. This case came about when the christian groups went around signing petitions to put the second amendment on the ballot stating that this would repeal any state or local laws protecting lesbians, gays,or bisexual orientation. The 53% percent of colorado voted on this and it passed. That ended up with Evans the administrator in denver suing Romer for violation on the 14th amendment which prohibits states from denying anyone the equal protection of The laws.

There have been many cases over the years regarding people objecting to things based on their religious beliefs. By doing so, these people are sometimes in violation of federal or state laws that protect people’s rights and prevent discrimination. An example of this is when Bob Smith refused to rent out his banquet hall to Adam and Steve, a gay couple who wanted to get married there. Bob, a California resident, refused to rent out the banquet hall because Adam and Steve’s gay wedding went against his religious beliefs and he found their lifestyle to be immoral and ungodly. This case brings up several legal, moral and philosophical issues that will be discussed in the following paragraphs.

Same-sex couples are becoming increasingly popular in our society and advocates have been pushing for social justice to abolish sexual discrimination. America has been misled by opponents of the Religious Freedom Restoration Acts who claim a business' right to religious freedom to turn away gay customers is discrimination and bigotry, and we need to return to the biblical view of homosexuality as what it really is: sin. This paper will cover religious freedom and the advancement of gay rights in society today as it pertains to the opposing arguments of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed recently in Indiana.

In Romer v. Evans, the Supreme Court strikes down Colorado's Amendment 2, which denied gays and lesbians protections against discrimination, calling them “special rights.” According to Justice Anthony Kennedy, “We find nothing special in the protections Amendment 2 withholds. These protections . . . constitute ordinary civil life in a free society.”

On December 8, 2016, Mark Squilla proposed a bill against a practice called “conversion therapy on LGBTQ” a practice to convert an individual’s gender identity in order to reduce romantic attraction toward same-sex individuals. According to the article, many health associations have proof that “the dangers of conversion therapy practices, which are known to lead to depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, and suicide.”(PHL Council). Squilla does not want anyone to feel rejected and ashamed because of who they are. He plays a large role in this bill because he stood up to the LGBTQ commitee and protect who they are.

Legislation should be changed on the topic of how to deal with the illegal activity and abuse that has been reported to happen inside hundreds of conversion therapy centers. These places are reported to have abused people from the LGBT community physically, verbally, and mentally to supposedly transform them into ‘normal’ people by believing that they can be changed to heterosexuality because of beliefs that they shouldn’t be LGBT. “One of these camps Journey Beyond...works towards finding an emotional breakthrough in order to reawaken participants’ ‘authentic heterosexual masculinity’. Their methods are based on the idea that non-heterosexual men are all heterosexual but have been affected in some way that has caused them to be attracted to