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Counselor Christopher Doyle and Advocates Aim to Protect Therapy Freedom in Virginia |
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The Virginia General Assembly is once again considering a bill that would ban Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE) therapy for minors who are struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions and gender identity confusion.
Similar bills in Virginia have previously been defeated or died before they were voted upon. Last year, Christopher Doyle, a licensed professional counselor and leader of the #TherapyEquality campaign of Equality And Justice For All, wrote an op-ed for the Richmond Times-Dispatch when therapy bans were making headlines in 2015. Doyle has lived in Virginia for more than a decade. Read more here.
“...(G)ay activists are not satisfied to allow clients ... to pursue their own self-determination,” Doyle wrote in the op-ed. “They insist that anyone experiencing homosexual feelings is born gay and, therefore, counseling to help them is not only wrong, but harmful. After all, if people are born homosexual, how could they change?
“But let’s not lose sight of the facts,” he continued. “In 2008, the American Psychological Association asserted people are not born gay. Therefore, taking away the right of parents and families to make choices about sexuality and mental health counseling is harmful. ... (Any bill that bans therapy) is an affront to everyone’s rights, and at a time when we’re expanding equality for all Virginians, this legislation is a step in the wrong direction.”
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| Last week, H.B. 427 was prefiled in the Virginia House of Delegates and referred to the Committee on General Laws. The bill was introduced by chief patron Marcus B. Simon.
“As bills like this crop up around the country, we encourage those who are opposed to them—and those who can tell their own story about how therapy changed their lives—to speak up and tell lawmakers why residents deserve therapy freedom,” Doyle said. |
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Help Fight the Proposed Sexual Orientation Counseling Ban in Massachusetts
Massachusetts legislators are also voting on a bill soon that would ban children and their parents from receiving counseling from licensed mental health professionals to help address unwanted sexual attractions. Click HERE to learn more information about the bill, and send an email to your legislators asking them to oppose HB97, the "Sexual Orientation Counseling Ban."
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MLK’s Advice to a Boy Struggling With Unwanted Same-Sex Attractions in 1958
As the nation remembers the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this week, few may know that, as a minister, he worked to help at least one young man who was experiencing unwanted same-sex attractions in 1958.
Today, as issues like these are debated by those who want to end certain types of therapies for minors, therapy equality advocate Christopher Doyle wonders if anyone nearly 60 years ago would have called Dr. King a “bigot,” “hateful” or “intolerant” for his words to the young man.
“No one would have attacked Dr. King for his words of guidance in 1958,” said Doyle. “They would have lauded him as a thoughtful minister who was sincerely trying to help this young man who was struggling and had nowhere to turn. But our society has become so fearful, so resistant and so intolerant of any view that does not match the vocal agenda of activists, those offering guidance—as well as those asking for help—are made out to be the enemy.”
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In a recent Charisma News story, an exchange between Dr. King and a young man is described, where King gives advice while writing an advice column for Ebony Magazine. The boy’s question and Dr. King’s answer are below:
Question: My problem is different from the ones most people have. I am a boy, but I feel about boys the way I ought to feel about girls. I don’t want my parents to know about me. What can I do? Is there any place where I can go for help?
Answer: Your problem is not at all an uncommon one. However, it does require careful attention. The type of feeling that you have toward boys is probably not an innate tendency, but something that has been culturally acquired. Your reasons for adopting this habit have now been consciously suppressed or unconsciously repressed. Therefore, it is necessary to deal with this problem by getting back to some of the experiences and circumstances that led to the habit. In order to do this I would suggest that you see a good psychiatrist who can assist you in bringing to the forefront of conscience all of those experiences and circumstances that led to the habit. You are already on the right road toward a solution, since you honestly recognize the problem and have a desire to solve it.
“Note that Dr. King encouraged the boy see a psychiatrist to find the root cause of his feelings,” Doyle said. “Today, in four states, the District of Columbia and the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, this boy would have been unable to find help. That’s why it’s so important that we put an end to therapy bans that prevent minors from having their therapy rights stripped away.”
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| | Lives Are On the Line -
We thank you for all the ways you have supported the important work of Equality And Justice For All. As you know, 2015 was a crucial year for issues such as therapy equality and the rights of those who are struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions and gender identity confusion. Will you help us protect and defend the therapy rights of all in 2016? Your gift in any amount will be invaluable in furthering the mission of Equality And Justice For All. Thank you for your support!
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| About Equality and Justice For All
Equality And Justice For All is the only civil rights organization that works to further the general welfare of the ex-gay community by promoting fair and equitable laws and policies protecting their rights. By furthering individual self-determination and liberty for former homosexuals, the organization strives to reduce bigoted representations of the ex-gay sexual orientation status, ensuring that ex-gays and their friends and families can be open, honest, safe and respected in a diverse society. |
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