The law created by California legislators to ban "ex-gay" therapy for minors (and signed Sunday by Gov. Jerry Brown) is already causing a ruckus.
A perfect example of this is a recent - and satisfyingly contentious debate on the topic by CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin, senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, and “ex-gay” therapist Dan Pickup.
As you will see, the interview got explosive with Pickup snapping at Baldwin:
During the interview, Pickup alluded to the fact that the religious right group, the Liberty Counsel, will be challenging California's law in court. Liberty Counsel head Mat Staver said the following yesterday:
If anyone believes that the Liberty Counsel is filing this lawsuit because they care about minors OR physicians, then they are simply fooling themselves.
The Liberty Counsel is fighting this law because of anti-gay bigotry, pure and simple. One would hope that in the coming media spotlight which the Liberty Counsel will enjoy because of its potential lawsuit, Staver or anyone else from the organization will be asked about the Liberty Counsel's anti-gay animus. This animus is best demonstrated by Staver himself and another member of the Liberty Counsel, Matt Barber:
It's wishful thinking on my part, but wouldn't it be absolutely wild if the Liberty Counsel's suit made it to court and lawyer defending CA's law called Staver or Barber as a witness to talk about the Liberty Counsel's bigotry?
A perfect example of this is a recent - and satisfyingly contentious debate on the topic by CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin, senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, and “ex-gay” therapist Dan Pickup.
As you will see, the interview got explosive with Pickup snapping at Baldwin:
During the interview, Pickup alluded to the fact that the religious right group, the Liberty Counsel, will be challenging California's law in court. Liberty Counsel head Mat Staver said the following yesterday:
"The California governor and legislature are putting their own preconceived notions and political ideology ahead of children and their rights to get access to counseling that meets their needs," Staver said in a statement. "A number of minors who have struggled with same-sex attraction have been able to reduce or eliminate the stress and conflicts in their lives by receiving counseling of their choice which best meets their needs and religious convictions." According to Staver, who is also dean of the Liberty University School of Law, the bill and the ethical codes of the state's licensing boards in California are on an "inevitable collision course." He added that the bill would "harm children, stress families, and place counselors in a catch-22, because they will be forced to violate their licensing ethical codes."
If anyone believes that the Liberty Counsel is filing this lawsuit because they care about minors OR physicians, then they are simply fooling themselves.
The Liberty Counsel is fighting this law because of anti-gay bigotry, pure and simple. One would hope that in the coming media spotlight which the Liberty Counsel will enjoy because of its potential lawsuit, Staver or anyone else from the organization will be asked about the Liberty Counsel's anti-gay animus. This animus is best demonstrated by Staver himself and another member of the Liberty Counsel, Matt Barber:
It's wishful thinking on my part, but wouldn't it be absolutely wild if the Liberty Counsel's suit made it to court and lawyer defending CA's law called Staver or Barber as a witness to talk about the Liberty Counsel's bigotry?
From the CNN video:
ReplyDelete@ 6:02 I wanna ask you a question because you said something that was intriguing. You said if a boy is abused by a man, therapy will help him get out of any homosexual feelings that he has, well if a girl is raped by a man, do we give her therapy to get out any heterosexual feelings?”
@ 6:17 “I mean, the therapy is to get over the abuse, not the orientation.”
Nail meet head.