Parents Challenge Gay Conversion Ban in Court

In August, NJ governor Chris Christie signed legislation banning “gay conversion therapy” for use on minors. Now parents in the state are challenging the ban in federal court.

AP reports:

New Jersey’s law banning so-called gay conversion therapy is facing another court challenge, this time from a couple who claim their constitutional rights are being violated because the law prevents them from seeking treatment for their 15-year-old son.

The law signed by Gov. Chris Christie in August bars licensed therapists from trying to turn gay teenagers straight. At the time he signed it, Christie said the health risks of trying to change a child’s sexual orientation, as identified by the American Psychological Association, outweigh concerns over the government setting limits on parental choice, though he added that government “should tread carefully into this area.”

Stratis said there is another, perhaps less abstract, rationale for stopping the law: The research it relies on is faulty or incomplete. An APA report on “appropriate therapeutic responses to sexual orientation” conceded that minors were underrepresented in the research and that there was a lack of scientifically sound research on the issue, the lawsuit claims.