Vermont becomes fifth state to ban 'gay conversion therapy' for minors

Vermont Governor. Peter Shumlin

While our minds have been concentrating on other things, something positive happened in Vermont Wednesday.

From the office of Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin:

 At a time when some states are working to erode hard-fought advances in civil rights for the LGBT community, Gov. Peter Shumlin today signed a law to advance them in Vermont by banning the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy. The new law bans the practice of seeking to change a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity in the State of Vermont.

"It's absurd to think that being gay or transgender is something to be cured of," Gov. Shumlin said. "Our country has come a long way in a short period of time in recognizing the civil rights of members of the LGBT community, and I am so proud that Vermont has taken a leadership role at every step of the way. At a time when the rights of LGBT individuals are under attack in other parts of the country, Vermont will continue to stand up to hatred and bigotry and show the rest of the country what tolerance, understanding, and common humanity look like."

Conversion therapy has been widely discredited by the scientific community. A 2015 report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) "found that variations in sexual orientation and gender identity are normal, and that conversion therapies or other efforts to change sexual orientation or gender identity are not effective, are harmful, and are not appropriate therapeutic practices."

Vermont joins California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. in enacting a law to ban conversion therapy. Earlier this year, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced regulations to ban public and private insurers from covering the practice.

The ban on conversion therapy takes effect July 1, 2016.

Five states down. Forty-five more to go. And we will make it a reality.

Related article - QUACKS: 'Conversion Therapists,' the Anti-LGBT Right, and the Demonization of Homosexuality

'Silly, pathetic black pastors grandstand for HB2' & other Thur. midday news briefs

Black pastors rally support for HB2, saying LGBT rights are not civil rights - As a black gay man, i always find it funny and sad when some of my own people deny their own. They seem to think that HB2 affects white gays. Black lgbts will also be affected. Of course they know this but will ignore it, just as they ignore the presence of black lgbts in the civil rights movement. It wasn't just heterosexual African-Americans being lynched, forced to live under segregation and having their dignity degraded. Nor was it solely heterosexual African-Americans who fought against such treatment. Bayard Rustin, James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry, and so many black gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people stood up and fought for equality. 


 Also, I find it very hypocritical for some of these black pastor to try and take the mantle of holiness. The group of pastors featured in the video (included in the link above) includes Patrick Wooden, a man who once said that gay men are forced to wear diapers because we have too much sex and won't wait for our "surgeries" to heal:



THIS is the caliber of the black "pastors" who support HB2. 

In other news: 
 

Gawker Didn’t ‘Out’ Peter Thiel — Nor Did It Wrong Him in Any Way - Paypal may not support HB2, but what its owner is doing could have NASTY consequences for the lgbt community. A man who stands to hurt his own people is not a man.  

The False Premise Texas Is Using To Challenge Transgender Protections - Lies told to scare voters NEVER do well in court. 

 How The Story Of A 17-Year-Old Bisexual Schoolgirl Is Being Misrepresented By The Government - Apparently other countries have religious right figures who are skilled at smearing lgbts.  

How Did You Build Your Family As An LGBT Couple? - This story is a wonderful purge from all of the negativity.