Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel

California Gov. Jerry Brown just signed into law a ban on ex-gay therapy for people under the age of 18, and conservative groups are already threatening to sue on behalf of the harmful treatment. Mat Staver of the Liberty Counsel claimed today that the suit is necessary because he believes the law will harm children:

STAVER: 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. 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. This bill will harm children, stress families, and place counselors in a catch-22, because they will be forced to violate their licensing ethical codes.

Not only is there no research to support his claim that children benefit from ex-gay therapy, which actually adds to the stigma LGBT youth experience, but there is an epidemic of homeless youth because of family rejection, which the false promise of conversion therapy reinforces. Christopher Rosik, president of the ex-gay professional network NARTH, has promised the organization will support the legal challenge:

ROSIK: NARTH is saddened but not surprised by this unprecedented legislative intrusion and will lend its full support to the legal efforts to overturn it. [...] We fully anticipate that activist groups like Equality California will be back next year to see what further erosions of parental rights and professional judgment politicians and mental health associations will authorize in California and other states. Counselors adhering to traditional values cannot be blamed for wondering what other practices disliked by these activists are going to be targeted as “unprofessional conduct” in the future, particularly in states that have legalized same-sex marriage.

Incidentally and unsurprisingly, Staver is the featured speaker at NARTH’s convention next month. Contrary to NARTH’s delusions, offering ex-gay therapy is already “unprofessional conduct” according to psychotherapy professionals. Parents are not entitled to the right to subject their children to harmful, stigmatizing treatments; California lawmakers have made the right decision to protect young people.

Lisa Miller kidnapped her daughter away to Central America to prevent her former partner access.

The National Organization for Marriage is once again insulting the adoptive relationships of parents who do not have a biological connection with their children. Jennifer Thieme of NOM’s Ruth Institute wrote recently that banning same-sex marriage is the “compassionate choice” for children, ignoring the millions of children already being raised by same-sex couples. In an attempt to raise alarm about what will happen if heterosexual couples no longer have special recognition on government paperwork, Thieme cites the tragic case of Lisa Miller, who embraced an ex-gay identity and kidnapped her daughter away to Central America to prevent her ex-partner, Janet Jenkins, from having legal guardianship:

Conservatives, and libertarians for that matter, should be extremely alarmed at the change from gendered marriage to genderless marriage. How many have heard the story of Lisa Miller, the bio mom who lost custody of her bio daughter to her former lesbian lover due to their civil union? The lover is not related to the child by blood or adoption, and this did not matter to the judge who made the ruling. Lisa escaped with her daughter to Central America. Her name appears on the FBI and INTERPOL Wanted Lists for parental kidnapping, and the Amish pastor who helped her escape has been convicted of “aiding an international parental kidnapping of a minor.” He might be looking at three years jail time.

Lisa’s biological connection to her own daughter was disregarded in favor of a public policy aimed at promoting equality. The objective, natural, and pre-political reality lost, and the subjective, artificial, and state defined reality won.

The American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer has also defended Miller, suggesting there should even be an “Underground Railroad” to kidnap children away — or “escape,” as Thieme writes — from same-sex parents. Both NOM and AFA are so concerned with preserving the special status of heterosexuality that they would abandon the welfare of the children in these cases. Society, through laws and courts, has an obligation to maintain secure, intact families for children in cases of adoption, surrogacy, foster care, same-sex relationships, and even step-parent situations. Prioritizing a biological relationship over keeping a child connected to her home and her parents — whoever they may genetically be — is the very opposite of a “compassionate choice.”

The National Center for Transgender Equality has released a new set of resources to make sure that transgender people are not denied the right to vote because of their identities. NCTE’s Mara Keisling explains the importance of the Voting While Trans campaign:

KEISLING: New voter ID laws have created costly barriers to voting for trans people. And much worse, the debates about voter ID laws alone have made the idea of voting so toxic that many of us aren’t even going to try to vote on election day. Voter ID laws are silly. State legislatures have enacted them attempting to solve a fake problem. And as a result, transgender people — like students, veterans, low-income people of color, and older Americans — risk being denied a ballot this year.

Watch some of the PSAs:

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed numerous bills into law this weekend that will create new protections for LGBT people and their families. Though Proposition 8 held back LGBT equality for the state, these new laws are raising the bar for ensuring an equal opportunity in society for same-sex couples and LGBT youth.

Fertility Services For Same-Sex Couples

California Assembly Bill 2356 ensures that all women, including single women and women in same-sex relationships, have the same access to fertility services. Previously, any woman who sought fertility services with a donor that was not their male partner had to endure time-consuming and costly repeat testing that lowered their chances of conceiving. Now, all intended parents can obtain safe and effective treatment.

LGBT-Sensitivity Training For Foster Parents

California Assembly Bill 1856 requires that anyone seeking to become a foster parent must undergo “instruction on cultural competency and sensitivity relating to, and best practices for, providing adequate care” to LGBT youth. Conservatives have complained that the training is a “burden” that will “drive Christian couples away” from becoming foster parents. Given the frightfully high rates of LGBT youth homelessness that are driven by family rejection, minimizing the likelihood that any young person should have to experience such rejection is a vitally important protection.

Ban On Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors

Perhaps the most groundbreaking bill Brown signed into law was Senate Bill 1172, limiting licensed therapists from offering ex-gay therapy to minors. Unfortunately, the bill was watered down significantly since its original introduction. Among the cuts was a provision that would have required that patients of any age who pursue ex-gay therapy have to sign an informed consent acknowledging its lack of scientific merit and potential harm. The original legislation also required ex-gay therapists to provide reporting about the therapy they offer so that the state could issue an annual report about the risks and limited potential of the junk science.

Another unfortunate caveat is that the state can only regulate the treatment offered by licensed or credentialed professionals, and thus any religious leader, minister, or counselor not regulated by a professional organization can continue to provide ex-gay therapy unregulated. Nevertheless, the bill represents a groundbreaking set of protections for LGBT youth, and hopefully its enforcement will serve to educate parents who want their children to endure such treatment but cannot find it from any credentialed therapist or physician. Other states, like New Jersey, are already considering adapting similar legislation based on this California model.

Multiple Parent Recognition

Unfortunately, Brown did veto one bill that would have created new protections for the additional parents who might be part of a child’s life because of a same-sex relationship. Senate Bill 1476 would have allowed judges to recognize more than two parents per child to accommodate the unique family structures that result from adoption, surrogacy, and remarriages. These would not have been issued at random, but could be determined on a case-by-case basis to offer the most protections and security to children. Brown said that he was concerned “the bill’s ambiguities may have unintended consequences,” asking for more time to “consider all of the implications of this change.”