Tag: conversion therapy

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NY Governor Signs Laws Banning Trans Discrimination & ‘Ex-Gay Therapy’ For Minors

Thanks to new Democratic control of the New York state Senate, Gov. Andrew Cuomo was finally able to sign two important LGBT bills into law today. With an American flag, a New York state flag, a rainbow flag and a transgender flag displayed prominently, the governor signed his name at a ceremony held at the New York City LGBT Community Center.
(image via Depositphotos)

Thanks to new Democratic control of the New York state Senate, Gov. Andrew Cuomo was finally able to sign two important LGBT bills into law today.

With an American flag, a New York state flag, a rainbow flag and a transgender flag displayed prominently, the governor signed his name at a ceremony held at the New York City LGBT Community Center.

One, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, or GENDA, adds gender identity to the New York Human Rights Law to which bans discrimination in employment, housing, public spaces and education.

GENDA took a 16 year journey to receiving a New York state governor’s signature. While it was passed 11 times in the state Assembly, the Republican-controlled Senate kept the important legislation out of reach.

New York is now the 20th state in the country with statewide protections banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at signing ceremony at NYC LGBT Community Center

The second piece of legislation bans the use of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ on LGBTQ youth.

Major medical organizations like the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all denounced ‘conversion therapy’ which treats being gay as a mental illness.

Also known as ‘ex-gay therapy,’ the practice has been shown to lead to depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, anxiety and, in some cases, suicidal behavior.

Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, issued a statement which read:

“Today, with Governor Cuomo’s signature, New York has made bold, historic progress by making GENDA the law of the land and banning the abusive and life-threatening practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ on LGBTQ youth.

“These laws will literally save lives, and their passage would not have been possible without the tireless work of advocates and allies across New York over the last decade. We also owe today’s celebration in large part to Senator Hoylman and Assemblymembers Gottfried and Glick for their strong leadership on this legislation, and to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, who made them a top priority this session.”

New York is now the 15th state to prohibit the harmful practice on LGBTQ youth.

Other states that have enacted similar laws are Connecticut, California, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Washington, Maryland, Hawaii, New Hampshire, as well as the District of Columbia.

It’s a great day to celebrate in New York state.

Check out video from the event today in New York City below.

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Notorious ‘Ex-Gay’ Therapist Announces He’s Gay And Actively Seeking To Date Men

Notorious 'ex-gay' therapist David Matheson announced he is now living an openly gay life and is seeking to date men.
David Matheson (image via Facebook)

My grandmother used to say all the time, “Ye who protesteth the loudest, do it the mostesth!”

That echoes in my mind as I report that a prominent therapist in the so-called conversion therapy industry has announced he has left the ‘ex-gay’ movement and is actively looking to date men.

 Truth Wins Out, a nonprofit think tank and advocacy group that fights against anti-LGBT prejudice and discrimination, obtained screen captures of a private Facebook group that shared the news David Matheson, who penned the controversial ‘ex-gay’ book, Becoming a Whole Man, is now living his life as an openly gay man.

During his career as a therapist, Matheson has authored several ‘ex-gay therapy’ programs including the notorious Journey Into Manhood program.

Rich Wyler, Journey Into Manhood’s director, broke the news in the Facebook group writing, “David…says that living a single, celibate life ‘just isn’t feasible’ for him, so he’s seeking a male partner.”

Wyler added, “He has gone from bisexuality to exclusively gay.”

TWO reached out to Matheson and received a statement which was appallingly absent any regret for his actions in the past. He also reveals he plans to remain in the Mormon Church.

“My time in a straight marriage and in the ‘ex-gay’ world was genuine and sincere and a rich blessing to me,” Matheson said in text messages to TWO. “I remember most of it with fondness and gratitude for the joy and growth it caused in me and many others. But I had stopped growing and was starting to die. So I’ve embarked on a new life-giving path that has already started a whole new growth process.

“I wasn’t faking it all those years,” he added. “I’m not renouncing my past work or my LDS faith. And I’m not condemning mixed-orientation marriages.”

“I continue to support the rights of individuals to choose how they will respond to their sexual attractions and identity,” he wrote in closing. “With that freedom, I am now choosing to pursue life as a gay man.”

At least one former client of Journey Into Manhood rejected the announcement.

“While I am pleased for Mr Matheson that he has found a path forward for his life, I can’t help but think of the hundreds if not thousands of people who are still stuck in the closet, a closet that was created in part by Mr Matheson himself,” said Chaim Levin, who was psychologically harmed by the program Matheson helped design for Journey Into Manhood. “I hope that Mr. Matheson will do whatever he can to rectify the harm that he’s inflicted on many people in the LGBTQ community, myself included.”

A 2007 New York Times article revealed Matheson had earned a master’s in counseling and guidance from Brigham Young University. He began full-time practice in New Jersey in 2004, where he charged clients $240 per 90-minute session.

Matheson helped develop the ‘program’ for Journey into Manhood, which took gay men go into the forest where they were encouraged to engage in “manly” activities in an effort to change their sexual orientation.

“For some people ‘gay’ is never going to work,” he told ABC’s Nightline in 2010 while discussing Journey Into Manhood. “That kind of life, and that kind of living, is never going to gel — ever — with their value system.”

“For those men, that’s why we exist, so that they can have another way, another approach of dealing with their sexual feelings,” Matheson added.

Since the publication of TWO’s report, Matheson has posted a coming-out essay on his Facebook page, which reads in part:

I know my work helped many, many people because they’ve told me so. But I’m sure I’ve hurt some people too.

Not that I would excuse myself, but any shortcomings I had as a therapist came from too narrow a view of what “emotionally healthy” can look like. They came from my own homophobia and narrow mindedness. I am truly sorry for those flaws and the harm they have surely caused some people. And I’m sorry for the confusion and pain my choice may be causing others.

Even today, as a newly-out gay man, I still find too much homophobia in myself.

(h/t Truth Wins Out)

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New York Legislature Passes Two Pro-LGBTQ Bills

After years and years of attempting to protect transgender New Yorkers, the New York state legislature has passed GENDA, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act.

After years and years of attempting to protect transgender New Yorkers, the New York state legislature has passed GENDA, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act.

The legislation explicitly bans discrimination in the state based on gender expression and gender identity. The bill won passage with a vote of 100-40 in the Assembly and 42-19 in the Senate.

Transgender and gender non-conforming people will now be protected in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations.

“This is truly an historic day,” Eric Lesh, executive director of the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, told The Daily Beast. “We are finally welcoming a fairer and more equal New York because of the bold and tireless leadership of trans and gender non-conforming New Yorkers.”

According to the Human Rights Campaign, GENDA passed in the state Assembly 11 times over the years, but the GOP-controlled Senate would kill the bill. Only now that Democrats control the Senate has the legislation finally passed and will head to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk to be signed into law.

Additionally, a ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy’ passed in both chambers, making New York the 15th state to protect LGBTQ youth from the harmful practice.

The legislation passed in the state Assembly 134 to 3, and in the state Senate by a vote of 57-4.

“Today’s historic action in New York is the result of years of hard work and it is a vivid illustration of the importance of electing pro-equality lawmakers,” said Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin in a statement.

“Due to the efforts of countless advocates and leaders, transgender New Yorkers will now be explicitly protected from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and LGBTQ youth will be protected from the dangerous, debunked practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy,'” he added. “This is a monumental day for fairness and equality across the Empire State.”

Major medical organizations like the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all denounced ‘conversion therapy’ which treats being gay as a mental illness.

So-called ‘ex-gay therapy’ has been shown to lead to depression, anxiety and, in some cases, suicide.

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News Round-Up: January 9, 2019

Some news items you might have missed:

• I’m not sure if I should caption this photo (above) from InstaHunk Joel Green in Bali “Strike a pose” (Joel) or “What are you looking at?”(his scene partner).

• Just as Colorado has sworn in Jared Polis as the first openly gay governor of a state, the Denver city council voted unanimously on Monday to ban so-called ‘conversion therapy’ for minors.

• Actor Timothée Chalamet has added to his growing reputation as an LGBTQ fan favorite by giving $1,000 to New York’s LGBT Community Center live on the Golden Globes red carpet.

• Thanks to the Trump shutdown, the FDA has stopped most food safety inspections. Feel safer?

• The Coast Guard Support Program has issued a five-page tip sheet on how to financially cope with a long U.S. government shutdown. The suggestions include: consider holding a garage sale, babysitting, dog-walking or serving as a “mystery shopper.”

• North Carolina just lost more revenue thanks to its anti-LGBTQ laws. Netflix has nixed the idea of shooting a new series, titled OBX, in the state. The production is expected to spend $60 million in whatever state Netflix eventually chooses.

• It may be hump day, but chill a bit with the latest single from VanJess, “Another Lover.”

I like the ebb and flow of the song, as well as the video’s visual change-ups from choreography to minimalist trance vibe.

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“Ex-Gay” App Dropped From Apple’s Online Store After Petition Protest

So-called ‘ex-gay therapy’ can lead to anxiety, depression & suicide
(stock photo via Depositphotos)

An app promoting so-called “conversion therapy” has been removed from Apple’s App Store one day after LGBTQ advocacy group Truth Wins Out (TWO) launched a campaign in protest.

Non-profit Christian organization Living Hope Ministries had developed and promoted the free app for over three years, according to The Dallas Morning News.

But once the folks at TWO, which fights the ‘ex-gay’ myth, discovered the app, it was time for action.

A Change.org petition was launched asking Apple to remove the app from its store citing the many organizations (American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association to name a few) that oppose the practice as multiple studies show it can lead to anxiety, depression, and self-destructive behavior, including suicide.

In their petition, TWO asked, “Why would Apple allow its online store to be used as a platform to promote such dangerous, homophobic garbage?”

The app was dropped from Apple’s App Store the next day.

Apparently, the deletion occurred without notifying Living Hope Ministries.

Executive Director Ricky Chelette told The Dallas Morning News they plan to appeal the decision, adding, “I don’t know why they would have taken it down.”

On their website, Living Hope Ministries says its mission is “to proclaim God’s truth as we journey with those seeking sexual and relational wholeness through a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.”

In a statement, Truth Wins Out executive director Wayne Besen thanked Apple for “exemplifying corporate responsibility and taking swift action to remove a dangerous app that stigmatizes and demeans LGBT people.”

“Ex-gay programs are consumer fraud and cause significant harm to the people they purport to help,” he added.

The app is still available, though, on other digital platforms like Google and Amazon, and Besen is addressing those tech giants as well.

“Every minute this heinous product is available on these platforms, the potential exists for it to harm LGBT youth,” says Besen. “We demand that Google and Amazon immediately stop selling and promoting this app, which dehumanizes LGBT people.”

While Texas allows the harmful practice, conversion therapy has been banned for use on young people in 14 states as well as the District of Columbia.

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Hypocrisy: Conversion Therapist By Day, ‘Hotnhairy72’ On Manhunt At Night

Conversion therapy practitioner discovered looking for sex on gay dating apps
(Image via Truth Wins Out)

A notorious “ex-gay” therapist who takes money from unsuspecting patients promising to ‘cure’ them of being gay while secretly trolling for sex with men on dating apps has been outed.

From Truth Wins Out:

Norman Goldwasser, by day, is an Orthodox Jewish therapist at Horizon Psychological Services who compares homosexuality to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and misleads clients by claiming that their sexual orientation can be changed with his special brand of quack therapy, which is rejected by every respected medical and mental health association.

By night, an undercover investigation by Truth Wins Out has found, he solicits sexual partners on Manhunt, a gay dating App, using the profile “Hotnhairy72.”

During our operation, Goldwasser, going by the pseudonym “Dave”, offered to meet for sex with our operative, “Brandon,” at a Fort Lauderdale motel room. Goldwasser also had a profile on Bear Nation by the same name.

Clearly, the hypocrisy is stunning.

Studies have shown that so-called “ex-gay therapy” can lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide.

Also known as “reparative” or “conversion therapy,” the practice has been debunked and denounced by nearly every major medical organization including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Currently 15 states – Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New York, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Washington, Maryland, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Delaware – plus the District of Columbia – all have laws or regulations protecting youth from the harmful practice.

Additionally, local municipalities including cities and counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, Florida, New York, Arizona, and Wisconsin have also passed similar legislation.

In reporting the story for Truth Wins Out, Executive Director Wayne Besen writes that Goldwasser’s “double life of unconscionable lies highlights the rank hypocrisy and predatory nature of the fraudulent ‘ex-gay’ industry.”

Besen, the author of Anything Bust Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth, says his organization doesn’t condone outing others unless “there is overwhelming hypocrisy, exchange of commerce, and the threat of harm to LGBT youth.”

Clearly, the Goldwasser situation ticks all three boxes.

Goldwasser has long ties to the “conversion therapy” community going back to Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH), an “ex-gay therapy” organization which was ordered dissolved by a New Jersey Superior Court in 2015 for violating consumer fraud laws.

Besen told JoeMyGod that he had been communicating with Goldwasser in advance of the Truth Wins Out article, and Goldwasser apparently begged Besen to consider his children and grandchildren in regard to exposing him.

Besen shared a text message from Goldwasser which read, in part, “If you want to prove a point, then please do so without destroying my ability to support my family.”

“I reminded Goldwasser that he was asking for sympathy he never afforded his victims, some teenagers, as he coldly collected their money and ruined their lives,” Besen told JoeMyGod.

“I also told him that only caring about his own predicament without apologizing for the harm he caused other people was narcissistic — something he could, unlike homosexuality — fix by visiting a real therapist.”

This scandal comes to light as the new film Boy Erased opens in theaters this week.

The movie, starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, and Russell Crowe, focuses on the true-life experience of Gerrard Connelly whose parents sent him to “ex-gay camp” when they discovered his sexuality when he was a teen.

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NH Lawmaker Defends His Support For ‘Ex-Gay’ Torture

New Hampshire state lawmaker and Republican candidate for Congress, Steve Negron, defended his decision to vote for allowing gay kids to be tortured through so-called "conversion therapy" during an interview with local station WMUR last month.
New Hampshire lawmaker Steve Negron

 New Hampshire state lawmaker and Republican candidate for Congress, Steve Negron, defended his decision to vote for allowing gay kids to be tortured through so-called “conversion therapy” during an interview with local station WMUR last month.

Via Talking Points Memo:

“I did not vote for that. I believe that’s something that, when you look at these young children that are trying to make a decision, and I remember when I was 15-16 I was confused, I had a lot of options in my life,” he said during a late August Facebook Live interview with WMUR, the state’s largest TV station.

“I think we need to be able to help them understand what it is, give them the right information, and let them get the treatment that they need to understand what the situation is,” Negron continued. “And I think the parents have a huge role in that as well.”

As I’ve reported over and over here on The Randy Report, major medical groups – including the American Psychological Association – have condemned the practice as extremely harmful saying it can lead to depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, hurt self-esteem and lead to substance abuse and risky sexual behaviors.

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‘Boy Erased’ Star Lucas Hedges: “Not Totally Straight, But Also Not Gay”

Lucas Hedges in “Boy Erased”

Lucas Hedges is one of the busiest young actors of his generation following his Oscar nominated turn in 2016’s Manchester by the Sea, standout performances in high-profile films Lady Bird and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and now his first lead role in Joel Edgerton’s highly anticipated Boy Erased.

Boy Erased chronicles the real life story of Gerrard Conley, whose parents (played in the film by Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe) sent him to ‘conversion therapy’ upon discovering their teen child was gay.

In a new interview with Vulture, Hedges (currently in rehearsals for the Broadway revival of The Waverly Gallery) opens up about his own perceived sense of sexuality. And, like many, he finds himself somewhere on a ‘spectrum’ rather than a specific label.

In approaching the story of Gerrard Conley, Hedges says he saw the film as “a story about shame.”

“I recognized that sense of anticipating and waiting for anyone and everyone to be like, ‘There’s something wrong with you,’ ” he says. “It’s a story about shame, which felt to me like the governing factor of my life and my childhood.”

The 21-year-old goes on to share a childhood episode from third grade when he told his mother he had a crush on a boy at day camp.

“I felt terrible about it,” Hedges tells Vulture. “I remember her being very comforting, and she understood that something was distressing me, and she said, ‘You don’t have to go back to camp today.’ ”

With the release of Boy Erased on the horizon, Hedges is plainly aware that his own sexuality will be a topic in interviews.

“I owe it to this part to speak as honestly as possible,” Hedges says. “In the early stages of my life, some of the people I was most infatuated with were my closest male friends. That was the case through high school, and I think I was always aware that while for the most part I was attracted to women, I existed on a spectrum.”

While third graders may not distill the concept of sexual attraction, Hedges does recall a teacher during sixth grade speaking to sexuality as something that may exist across a broad range instead of a 100% label of straight or gay.

“I felt ashamed that I wasn’t 100 percent, because it was clear that one side of sexuality presents issues, and the other doesn’t as much,” he says. “I recognize myself as existing on that spectrum: Not totally straight, but also not gay and not necessarily bisexual.”

Look for Boy Erased in theaters November 2. And you can check out the trailer for the film below.

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California Lawmaker Pulls ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban Bill

California Assemblyman Evan Low

A California lawmaker surprised many when he pulled his bill, Assembly Bill 2943, which would have made so-called ‘conversion therapy’ a fraudulent business practice in the Golden State.

Assemblyman Evan Low (D) was one vote from seeing AB2943 being sent to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk to be signed into law. The measure had already passed by solid margins in both the Assembly and Senate.

But Low pulled the legislation from consideration after meeting with faith leaders who hold strong objections to the proposed law.

From The Sacramento Bee:

Conservative religious groups vigorously objected to the legislation, which they considered an attack on their First Amendment freedoms. Some churches and other faith-based organizations offer programs that they say help individuals to overcome unwanted same-sex attractions.

Because it applies to consumer transactions, AB 2943 would not have outlawed religious counseling to change an individual’s sexuality or other conversion therapy services if they are offered free of charge. But opponents had promised to challenge the measure in court.

In a statement, Low said his meetings with religious leaders left him “feeling hopeful.”

“I believe every person who attended these meetings left with a greater understanding for the underlying reason and intention of this bill to create a loving and inclusive environment for all,” said Low. “However, I believe there is still more to learn.”

California banned the practice of ‘conversion therapy’ on minors by licensed mental health practitioners back in 2012. AB 2943 would have expanded the ban to adults.

Low’s personal investment in the legislation is deeply personal to him as an openly gay man who experienced confusion as a young man coming to terms with his sexuality.

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News Round-Up: August 28, 2018

Some news items you might have missed:

• Actor/model/InstaHunk Tyler James (above) offers this Tuesday tidbit of wisdom: “Live with no excuses and travel with no regrets.”

• A 41-year-old straight correctional officer says he was taunted as “gay” for months in the workplace to the point he developed facial paralysis.

• The Telegraph is reporting that Facebook targeted young LGBTs with ads for so-called ‘conversion therapy.’

• In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Australia pop star Sia admits she refused to take a photo with Donald Trump backstage at SNL. When asked for the photo op, she replied, “Actually, do you mind if we don’t? I have a lot of queer and Mexican fans, and I don’t want them to think that I support your views.” #Bravo

• John Goodman confirmed to The Times that Roseanne Barr’s character will indeed be killed off in the upcoming reboot of the rebooted Roseanne sitcom, now to be titled, The Connors.

•Porn star Stormy Daniels was asked by Vogue Magazine about her infamous one-night-stand with Donald Trump. Daniels reply – “How many details can you really give about two minutes?” #Ouch

• I’ll bookend this News Round-Up with one more by the handsome Mr. James, who proves in this pic he has clothes, albeit they may be coming off in the photo…