Protect Choice in Therapy for Children

Activists throughout the US are aggressively pushing legal bans on change therapeutic for children with gender confusion of unwanted same-sex attraction

These bans constitute a huge governmental overreach into the personal, intimate sexual lives and identities of children and their families, dictating health decisions that should be left up to parents, children, and their professional therapists.

Currently, such bans have been proposed in both Utah (H.B. 399) and Arizona (S.B. 1047) state legislatures.

These bans are promoted by making false claims including claims that sexual orientation and gender identity cannot be changed; that all therapeutic approaches to change therapy are abusive and incorporate such things as electric shocks and that children who receive change therapy will commit suicide.

These claims are all scare tactics.

First, attractions and identities are fluid and many people have changed.

Second, the abusive practice of electric shock was discredited and abandoned decades ago by all professional change therapists (see NARTH.org).  If people are truly concerned about abusive practices, they can pass laws outlawing those practices while protecting mainstream, ethical and voluntary change therapy.

Third, many people have testified that change therapy has prevented them from committing suicide.

Please act now to protect therapeutic choice for children by signing the letter urging your legislators to vote against your state’s proposed therapy ban. 

More resources on Change Therapy 

Oppose Your State’s Change Therapy Ban!

Imagine a child…

Imagine a child who was sexually abused who developed gender confusion or unwanted same-sex attractions.

Imagine a therapist telling that child and their parents that they can’t help, or they will lose their job.

Imagine that child having to wait until they are an adult to get the help they want and need.

This is unconscionable, outrageous, and outright abuse.

Please do everything you can to make sure that the therapy ban does not pass in your state.

10 Serious Negative Consequences of Change Therapy Bans

1. Choice would be abolished. If Change Therapy bans are enacted, gender-confused children would be forced to either go without therapy for their unwanted behaviors or feelings related to sexual orientation or self-perceived gender identity or receive transgender “transition” support only.  Such “transition” protocols often include puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and genital-mutilating surgeries–protocols that impair sexual functioning and cause infertility for life.

2. Sexually abused children who have developed unwanted same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria as a result of their abuse would have to wait until adulthood to get the professional help they need.

3. Children with unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion who are already at a higher risk for suicide could ultimately take their own lives when denied the therapy they want and need.

4. Therapists who are currently treating children with psychological comorbidities(i.e., a combination of porn addiction, depression, unwanted same-sex attraction, gender dysphoria, etc.) would be forced to address only part of their child client’s needs.

5. The only legal change counseling available to children would be from religious leaders who have no professional training in treating unwanted same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria.

6. The rights of parents to guide the health services of their children would be violated.

7. The religious rights of parents and children would be undermined.

8. The free speech rights of therapists would be violated.

9. The right to self-determination of therapy clients would be violated.

10. State governments will have launched a huge overreach into the personal, intimate sexual lives and identity aspects of children and their families, dictating health decisions that should be left up to parents, children, and their professional therapists.

Resources Supporting Opposition to Therapy Ban Bills