Conversion Therapy is Consumer Fraud and Not Free Speech
Delray Beach, FL – Truth Wins Out harshly condemned the Supreme Court today for deciding to hear a case that seeks to overturn a ban for conversion therapy targeting minors. The practice is prohibited in more than 20 states. The case was brought by Kaley Chiles, a licensed counselor who ludicrously claims the law in Colorado violates her free speech and religious liberty.
“The current Supreme Court is led by right wing ideologues who have repeatedly and inappropriately inserted their religious biases,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen, who has written two books debunking “ex-gay” conversion therapy and exposed many of their top leaders as frauds. “The Court should never have taken a case based on the absurdity that medical speech can’t be regulated, and this is particularly true for the pseudoscience of conversion therapy, which is a bizarre and ineffective form of religious faith healing disguised as modern medicine. We strenuously reject the High Court’s dangerous intermingling of religion and science, because the former is based on faith and the latter facts.”
Besen continued, “This faith-based quackery never works and has left a long trail of victims who have been irreparably harmed. All respected medical and mental health organizations reject conversion therapy, so allowing such backward practices to continue is endorsing psychological abuse.”
“A Regressive and Dangerous Proposal”
The American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, and American Psychological Association have all denounced conversion therapy as harmful and ineffective. Studies have linked the practice to increased rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation among LGBTQ individuals who have been subjected to it. By attempting to normalize conversion therapy, this case undermines professional standards and endangers lives.
“A Cheap Smokescreen of Religious Freedom”
Proponents of conversion therapy have framed the legislation as a matter of religious freedom. Truth Wins Out rejects this disingenuous narrative and asserts that religious beliefs must never be used as a justification to harm others or endorse unethical practices.
“Religious freedom is a cherished value, but it does not grant license to harm others or deny them dignity,” said TWO’s Besen. “It’s a gross distortion of what freedom truly means. Therapists are not right wing talk show hosts. They have an ethical duty to uphold professional standards, not indoctrinate clients with political opinions at the client’s expense.”
“The real issue here is not the alleged suppression of religious counseling but the blatant attempt to rebrand conversion therapy as legitimate care,” said TWO’s Besen. “The Supreme Court should be focused on protecting the mental health of all Americans, not enabling harmful practices that belong in the dustbin of history.”
About Truth Wins Out
Truth Wins Out is a nonprofit organization that works to advance liberty and democracy, protect the rights of LGBTQ people and other minorities, combat religious extremism and fight against the spread of disinformation. Truth Wins Out has the world’s largest video catalogue debunking “ex-gay” conversion therapy.