- Joined
- Feb 19, 2012
- Messages
- 29,957
- Reaction score
- 14,683
- Location
- Netherlands
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Moderate
President Obama has voiced his opinion that there should be a stop/ban on conversion therapy for gays, lesbians, transgenders or bisexuals when they are minors.
One of the reasons that the president is adding his weight to this discussion is the death of (among others) Leelah Alcorn, who committed suicide after writing in an online suicide note that religious therapists had been trying to convert her back into a boy.
You can read the whole story about Obama here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/09/us/politics/obama-to-call-for-end-to-conversion-therapies-for-gay-and-transgender-youth.html?smid=tw-nytimes&_r=2
We can all have our ideas about gays, lesbians, transgenders and bisexuals, but do you think the president (and I know anti-Obama crowd, he is the anti-christ/the liberal son of the devil, etc) is right to call for an end on gay conversion therapy on minors.
Don't get me wrong, if an adult wants to go into gay reversion/restorative therapy then fine, it is his own choice to do so, but should we protect the rights of children when it comes to parents forcing them into a highly dubious, unproven and for younger youths extremely risky therapies that could scar that child for her/his entire life?
I know some religious parents shudder at the idea of having a "defective" gay/lesbian/transgendered child but should they have the right, against the wishes and most likely best interest of that child, be able to force them into a potentially dangerous therapy that could end up driving that child to suicide or a life of mental instability? Or is the president right, should we protect the civil rights of children to not be potentially damaged by unwanted therapies like reversion therapy?
One of the reasons that the president is adding his weight to this discussion is the death of (among others) Leelah Alcorn, who committed suicide after writing in an online suicide note that religious therapists had been trying to convert her back into a boy.
You can read the whole story about Obama here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/09/us/politics/obama-to-call-for-end-to-conversion-therapies-for-gay-and-transgender-youth.html?smid=tw-nytimes&_r=2
We can all have our ideas about gays, lesbians, transgenders and bisexuals, but do you think the president (and I know anti-Obama crowd, he is the anti-christ/the liberal son of the devil, etc) is right to call for an end on gay conversion therapy on minors.
Don't get me wrong, if an adult wants to go into gay reversion/restorative therapy then fine, it is his own choice to do so, but should we protect the rights of children when it comes to parents forcing them into a highly dubious, unproven and for younger youths extremely risky therapies that could scar that child for her/his entire life?
I know some religious parents shudder at the idea of having a "defective" gay/lesbian/transgendered child but should they have the right, against the wishes and most likely best interest of that child, be able to force them into a potentially dangerous therapy that could end up driving that child to suicide or a life of mental instability? Or is the president right, should we protect the civil rights of children to not be potentially damaged by unwanted therapies like reversion therapy?