California may ban gay teen ‘conversion therapy’

A first-of-its-kind ban on a form of “therapy” aimed at making gay people straight is speeding through the California statehouse. Supporters say the legislation is necessary because such treatments are ineffective and harmful. “This therapy can be dangerous,” said the bill’s author Sen. Ted Lieu. The Torrance Democrat added the treatments can “cause extreme depression and guilt” that sometimes leads to suicide. Interest in the religion-based therapy appears to have surged in recent years, sparking debates about whether sexual orientation is an immutable characteristic. Exodus International, the world’s largest Christian referral network dealing with homosexuality, now steers people to 260 groups across the country, up from about 100 a decade ago. The organization has 35 ministries and churches scattered around California, from the Central Valley to the U.S.-Mexico border.

[via Lubbock Avalanche-Journal]