“In striking down bans on Sexual Orientation Change Efforts to lessen same-sex attraction, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals sided with First Amendment
free speech against LGBT dogma,” said Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D., Founder and President of the Ruth Institute.
The court overturned local ordinances of the City of Boca Raton and the county
of Palm Beach, Florida. These ordinances prohibited licensed counselors from offering counseling to minors who voluntarily seek their help to “reduce
same-sex behavior and attraction and eliminate what they term confusion over gender identity.” (pg. 4)
Morse noted, “Sexual Revolutionary activists, and the professional associations they control, have successfully persuaded local governments to adopt
these bans. The activists argue that this type of therapy, based solely on conversation between therapist and client, are psychologically harmful.
I am especially pleased that the Court’s majority considered the evidence on this point.”
The Court stated: “[The Defendants] present a series of reports and studies setting out harms of SOCE. But when examined closely, these documents offer
assertions rather than evidence, at least regarding the effects of purely speech-based SOCE. Indeed, a report from the American Psychological Association,
relied on by the defendants, concedes that ‘nonaversive and recent approaches to SOCE have not been rigorously evaluated.’” (pg. 21)
“Without conclusive evidence, LGBT organizations insist that homosexuality is innate, and that individuals with same-sex attraction must accept their
fate — that they are condemned to be ‘gay,’ whether they like it or not,” Morse explained.
In fact, the majority decision pointed out that the ordinances contain an exception for “counseling that provides support and assistance to a person
undergoing gender transition.” But the Court goes on to observe, “No such carveout exists for sexual orientation. The ordinances thus codify a
particular viewpoint—sexual orientation is immutable, but gender is not—and prohibit the therapists from advancing any other perspective
when counseling clients. That viewpoint may be widely shared in the communities that passed the ordinances, but widespread agreement is beside
the point; the question is whether a speaker’s viewpoint determines his license to speak.” (pg. 12)
Morse congratulated Liberty Counsel, which provided representation to the therapists in this case. “I agree with Liberty
Counsel President Mat Staver when he said that ‘This is a huge victory for counselors and their clients to choose the counsel of their choice free
of political censorship from government ideologues.’”
The Ruth Institute is a global non-profit organization leading an international interfaith coalition to
defend the family and build a civilization of love.
To schedule an interview with Dr. Morse, contact info@ruthinstitute.org.
