Posted on 04/08/2015 5:49:34 PM PDT by reaganaut1
WASHINGTON — A 17-year-old transgender youth, Leelah Alcorn, stunned her friends and a vast Internet audience in December when she threw herself in front of a tractor-trailer after writing in an online suicide note that religious therapists had tried to convert her back to being a boy.
In response, President Obama this week will call for an end to such psychiatric therapies aimed at “repairing” gay, lesbian and transgender youth, White House officials said. His decision on the sensitive issue is the latest example of his continuing embrace of gay rights.
In a statement to be posted on Wednesday evening alongside a WhiteHouse.gov petition begun in honor of Ms. Alcorn, Mr. Obama will condemn the psychiatric practice, sometimes called “conversion” or “reparative” therapy, which is supported by some socially conservative organizations and religious doctors. The petition has received more than 120,000 signatures in three months.
“We share your concern about its potentially devastating effects on the lives of transgender as well as gay, lesbian, bisexual and queer youth,” the statement, written by Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to Mr. Obama, says, according to a copy obtained by The New York Times. “As part of our dedication to protecting America’s youth, this administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors.”
In an interview on Wednesday, Ms. Jarrett said Mr. Obama was moved by the story of Ms. Alcorn’s suicide. But she said the problem went far beyond her.
“It was tragic, but I will tell you, unfortunately she has a lot of company,” Ms. Jarrett said. “It’s not the story of one young person. It is the story of countless young people who have been subjected to this.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Pence is governor of Indiana, not Illinois.
He still can’t forbid clerical advice.
“The left wing homosexual lobby cannot afford to allow conversion therapy, not because it is ineffective, but because they are scared shitless it might just work now and then.”
Nailed it.
None of this can touch clergy...
That some rabid gay might become less rabid, even... is utter poison to these malicious souls.
Good job.
Yep, and they ARE malicious.
[So, parents will now have to leave IL in order to get help for their children?]
The bill hasn’t passed out of committee yet. Hopefully, enough people will weigh in and it will never come to the floor for a vote.
but it’s OK for Lesbians to try to convert your daughters into Lesbians
Cruz is beginning to make this known far and wide...
God bless him, and may we watch the incredible shrinking _resident. Who’s the mouse and who’s the man?
and then if they commit suicide in the shame, well TOUGH LUCK
Most “conversion” attempts are done to the underage, and a significant percentage of LGBT are not shy about admitting it. Women target girls around 12-14, and men target boys around 10-13. They justify it as the only way to keep their lifestyle going.
Understand that will allow the Leftists to go after your church to the extent you teach your youth the truth about same sex relationships.
They are even more afraid of finding the “queer” gene. Think what gene therapy or gene testing during pregnancy could cause .... yes, a shortage of queers!!!!
Wow, who knew that the village idiot was a psychiatrist as well as a constitutional lawyer....must have had a full schedule at Harvard to learn all that....
Wow Val. You do realize don't you, that if you use the word "queer" on Facebook when pertaining to homosexuals you'll get a reprimand from the Facebook Word Police and kicked off if you persist. You and Suckerburg should get your seams straight. How very insensitive of you, Val. Tsk, tsk.
Unless you mean it as a compliment, I suppose
This is a sin problem not a gene problem, and sin predates conception. It’ll never happen.
Yeah I agree. Stop trying to convert straight boy scouts into homos by forcing them to have gay scout leaders
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