Cases & Advocacy
King v. Christie and Doe v. Christie
On August 19, 2013, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed the nation’s second law prohibiting state-licensed therapists from trying to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of a patient under 18 years old. An anti-LGBTQ legal group immediately filed a federal lawsuit challenging the new law on behalf of two New Jersey therapists and two organizations that support conversion therapy.
MoreLegislation & Policy
California Senate Bill 1172
In 2012, NCLR helped draft and pass a groundbreaking law in California that prohibits licensed mental health practitioners from trying to change a young person’s sexual orientation or gender expression. Sometimes called “reparative therapy,” these dangerous practices by therapists put youth at risk of severe depression, suicide, and drug and alcohol abuse.
Every major medical and mental health organization has warned that attempts to change a young person’s sexual orientation are ineffective and harmful, but some licensed therapists continue to lie to parents and youth falsely claiming they can prevent a child from being LGBT. When Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1172 into law, he rightly said that these non-scientific practices should “be relegated to the dustbin of quackery.” As soon as the bill became law, it was challenged in court by therapists and parents claiming they have a constitutional right to subject children to these harmful practices. NCLR has intervened in those lawsuits to help the California Attorney General protect young people from this abuse.
Read more about the case that unsuccessfully challenged this law.
MorePress & Media
Federal Appeals Court Allows Enforcement of California Law Prohibiting Dangerous Psychological Practices to Change Minors’ Sexual Orientation
Press & Media
Leading Mental Health Professional Organizations, Health Care and Constitutional Scholars, and Social Services Providers Urge Appeals Court to Uphold California Law Prohibiting Dangerous Psychological Practices to Change Minors’ Sexual Orientation
Press & Media
Federal Court Gives Green Light to California Law Protecting Youth from Dangerous Practices by Therapists Who Claim to Change Sexual Orientation
Press & Media
NCLR Responds to Federal Court’s Decision on California Law Protecting LGBTQ Youth from Dangerous Practices by Therapists Who Claim to Change Sexual Orientation
Press & Media
NCLR Applauds Congresswoman Speier’s Resolution to Protect LGBTQ Youth from Harmful Attempts to Change their Identity
Press & Media
NCLR and EQCA Move to Intervene in Lawsuit to Defend Law Protecting LGBTQ Youth From Psychological Abuse
Press & Media
NCLR and EQCA Say Anti-LGBTQ Groups Are “Grasping at Straws” with Lawsuits Challenging Law Protecting LGBTQ Youth From Psychological Abuse
Press & Media