FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
June 26, 2014
CONTACT
Christopher
Doyle, President
571-379-4546
Ex-Gays to Hold Press Conference in
Washington, D.C. to Demand Therapy Equality
June 27th DC
Council Hearing to Ban SOCE Therapy is Unnecessary and Discriminatory
Washington, D.C.
– On June 27, 2014, ex-gays will hold a press conference in front of the
Washington, D.C. City Council Building immediately after they testify against
Bill 20-501, a bill that seeks to prohibit Sexual Orientation Change Effort
(SOCE) therapy for minors in the District of Columbia. In 2014, thirteen state
legislatures have rejected legislation to ban SOCE therapy for minors,
including Virginia, Washington, Maryland, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin,
Hawaii, New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont, and Rhode Island.
“This legislation
in Washington, D.C. is both unnecessary and discriminatory,” commented
Christopher Doyle, President of Voice of the Voiceless, the only
anti-defamation league for former homosexuals, individuals with unwanted
same-sex attractions, and their families. “There has not been a single ethical
complaint or grievance filed by a client or patient being treated with SOCE against their will in the District of Columbia from a licensed mental health practitioner, yet this bill claims that therapy to change sexual orientaiton
is dangerous and harmful for young people who live in the District. It’s a
complete fabrication for political purposes.”
According
to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request received from
Phillip L. Husband, Esq., General Counsel and FOIA Officer for the Department
of Health, there has been no complaints filed against a licensed mental health
practitioner practicing SOCE therapy in Washington, D.C. “Based on my work for the Department of Health
since 2001, I must admit that I do not remember a complaint or grievance
involving Sexual Orientation Change Effort or conversion therapy,” commented
Husband in an e-mail from June 20, 2014 . “The Department of Health has reported to me that no documents
responsive to your FOIA request have been identified or located.”
Not only is the legislation unnecessary, it
potentially violates the rights of former homosexuals in the District of Columbia
who have left homosexuality and seek competent, culturally sensitive mental
health services to change sexual orientation. “According to a ruling in the
Superior Court of Washington, D.C. in 2009, former homosexuals are a protected class against
discrimination in Washington, D.C.,” commented Doyle. “While the Council seems
eager to grant every single protection possible to the LGBT community, this
legislation would actually take away the rights of those who identify as
ex-gay. It’s inconsistent and just plain wrong.”
When: June 27, 2014
Where: John A. Wilson Building, 1350
Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Room 115,
Washington, D.C., 20004
Time: Committee
hearing begins at 12:00pm, Press Conference to immediately follow
in front of
the John A. Wilson Building (probably between 2:00pm - 3:00pm)
