Maria Martinez, American Thinker, August 28, 2019

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To date, twenty states and many cities have made it illegal to offer therapy for minors unless it affirms the LGBT agenda — and several more are considering similar bans. In these jurisdictions, therapists may help a child or teen accept same-sex attraction or a different gender identity, but they will not help a teen who aspires to change their same-sex attraction or sexual identity. It is illegal even to ask questions to help a child explore underlying issues related to sexual orientation or gender identity.

And if the federal Equality Act is enacted, it will be illegal across all states.

The Equality Act has already been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and is now under consideration in the Senate. {snip}

The Equality Act uses the controversial term “conversion therapy” and specifically bans it as “a form of discrimination.” {snip}

Today counseling offered to people like Nate is simply talk therapy, and the client is in control. The goal is to help the client align his behavior with his own goals, values, and aspirations. {snip}

This is the type of counseling the Equality Act would outlaw. You don’t need a law degree to see that this would be a serious violation of free speech rights. It is also an unconscionable incursion of the state into the therapist-client relationship. In a free society, the state should not be telling people what therapy goals they are allowed to have.

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The implications of such a broad ban at the federal level are staggering. Counselors, therapists, pastors — anyone who counsels people who have unwanted same-sex attractions or gender dysphoria — would be subject to criminal penalties and potentially charged with hate crimes and discrimination.

The Equality Act is more draconian that any state or city conversion therapy ban to date because it takes away the traditional constitutional exemption for religious freedom. The Act specifically states that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) may not be invoked as a defense, marking the first time in history that Congress has limited the reach of RFRA. {snip} The Equality Act is unprecedented in its overreach, impacting even adults who are willingly seeking counseling.

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Parents could lose custody of their children if they decline to assist in their gender transition. {snip}

Doctors and hospitals could be subject to lawsuits for refusing to perform sex-change surgeries. {snip}

Battered-women’s shelters could be required to admit members of the opposite sex. {snip}

Faith-based adoption and foster care agencies that believe children do best with both a mother and a father could be forced to shut down. {snip}

The Equality Act is now in the Senate. {snip}

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