Gay Conversion Therapy Would Be Added To List Of Deceptive Business Practices Under Proposed California Bill

The bill, which passed the state Assembly, now moves to the Senate. Despite no evidence that the therapy works, some religious groups have said such a law would violate their constitutional rights.

The Associated Press: California Lawmakers Move To Limit Gay Conversion Therapy

Selling or advertising gay conversion therapy may soon be classified as a fraudulent business practice in California under a bill passed Thursday by the state Assembly. Conversion therapy, the practice of trying to change someone's sexual orientation, has been shown to be ineffective, said Assemblyman Evan Low, who wrote the bill that now heads to the state Senate. (Bollag, 4/19)

Los Angeles Times: Gay 'Conversion Therapy' Services Would Be Banned Under Measure Advancing In California

“It is harmful and it is unnecessary,” Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell), the bill’s author and one of the Legislature’s most vocal LGBTQ members, said of the practice. Low, who told Assembly members that he explored conversion therapy as a teenager and suffered depression over his sexual orientation, insisted that the bill would be limited to efforts that involve the exchange of money. “There’s nothing wrong with me,” he said in an emotional speech on the Assembly floor. “There’s nothing that needs to be changed.” (Myers, 4/19)

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