Hi,
This is an email I received from PFLAG National:
Dear PFLAG Members and Supporters:
Recently, we have made great strides not only in achieving equality and fairness for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender loved ones, but also in advancing important protections for their health and well-being.
To this end, we are happy to report a number of items in regards to the practice of so-called “reparative therapy.” This type of therapy—which purports to change a person’s sexual orientation—has been deemed harmful by every leading mainstream medical, psychological, and child welfare association in the country, including The American Psychiatric Association, The American Psychological Association, The American Medical Association, The American Counseling Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The National Association of Social Workers.
Last month in California, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law SB1172, which bans this practice for LGBT youth under the age of 18. This was a major step forward, with Brown saying that the practice, “…[has] no basis in science or medicine.” PFLAGers in California worked tirelessly to move this bill through, and we congratulate them on their success.
Today, Congresswoman Jackie Speier of California’s 12th District, has put forward a Congressional resolution, to be known as the “Stop Harming Our Kids” Resolution, which would expand to the federal level this ban on reparative therapy. PFLAG National sent a letter of support for this resolution today, which can be read in the PFLAG National Online Newsroom.
Please thank Rep. Speier for her leadership on this issue. If you are a constituent of her district (CA-12) you can do so by email here: https://forms.house.gov/speier/webforms/email_jackie.shtml. If you are outside of this district, you can reach her via phone at (202) 225-3531 or by fax at (202) 226-4183.
This resolution was issued on the heels of a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), accusing a New Jersey organization of consumer fraud for offering conversion therapy services. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of four young men and two of their parents. We applaud SPLC—as well as these parents—for working to protect these young men from further potential harm from this dangerous practice.
The discussion around so-called reparative therapy will likely be elevated today, not only due to the “Stop Harming Our Kids” resolution and the SPLC lawsuit, but also due to today’s episode of The Dr. Oz Show, which will focus exclusively on the topic. Despite our best efforts to prevent the show from being taped and aired, Dr. Oz and his producers moved forward, with segments including people who were harmed by this therapy, as well as “experts” on the pro-side of the debate.
PFLAG National believes strongly that there are no legitimate experts on the pro side, and that Dr. Oz’s neutral position on the subject was a poor choice on his part. To that end, we have a statement running on the show, and later today we will be issuing a national press release, in partnership with GLAAD and GLSEN, denouncing the episode and calling on Dr. Oz to make a statement opposing the harmful practice of so-called reparative therapy.
Please make your opinion known to Dr. Oz!
There are several ways to reach the show:
Via email and phone to the show’s publicists [Tim Sullivan, tsullivan@zoco.com, 212-259-1520 or Maria Poulos, mpoulos@zoco.com, 212-259-1654].
Via email to the producers at viewerfeedback@zoco.com.
Via Facebook: www.facebook.com/droz where you can post your opinions publicly
Via Twitter: www.twitter.com/droz, where you can share your opinion and encourage others to do the same
We thank you for all of your continued hard work to protect our LGBT loved ones…and for moving equality forward, every day.