Proving once again that Texas is the land that time forgot, the state GOP has taken on the burning issue of its day. No, not marriage equality. Curing homosexuality. At the state party convention, delegates added a section to the party platform celebrating conversion therapy.
Yes, that’s right. According to those medical experts in the Texas Republican party, homosexuality can be cured. Or, as the party platform so quaintly puts it, “We recognize the legitimacy and efficacy of counseling, which offers reparative therapy and treatment for those patients seeking healing and wholeness from their homosexual lifestyle.“
The impetus for the move are laws in New Jersey and California that have banned reparative therapy for minors as the harmful sham that it is. (As an aside, the Texas platform is one more sign why New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who signed that state’s law, will never be the GOP presidential nominee.) Afraid that science is catching, Texas Republicans have taken to politics to ensure that the state remains safe for “counselors” seeking to damage struggling adolescents.
As if that makes it alright, Cathie Adams, the president of the Texas Eagle Forum and the force behind the proposal, assures Texans that “nothing is mandatory. If a person chooses counseling, then it should be available.”
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Of course, that’s not what the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association say. But what do they know? They’re only medical experts.
Mezaien
I only in Support of Conversion, in helping human to cure themselves of the mental illness Christianity.
Desert Boy
Taliban Texas is such a sick, dangerous place.
dvlaries
Aren’t they overdue for a nice Category 5 hurricane down there?
Cam
It will be interesting to see if the one or two (Or one with two or three scree-names) defenders of the GOP comes in to try to distract the conversation. Probably screaming something about Benghazi, or crying that it’s gays who are the real bullies and the GOP their helpless victims.
Countdown to them posting?…… If they are smart they will stay away, no amount of crying or claiming victim status can change the simple fact that the Texas GOP thinks being gay or lesbian is a disease that must be cured.
1EqualityUSA
Anything that makes the GOP appear extreme and unreasonable is alright by me. What the Hell is wrong with the majority of people in Texas, who keep electing these guys? The women and Latino voters are going to make Texas a swing State if they keep working their magic. Oh, and Rick Perry is latent.
Ben Dover
@Cam: Oh, I know what ___ will say.
If you’re a liberal you’re supposed to be “tolerant” and “compassionate” all the time. So if you’re ever not, you’re a hypocrite.
However if you’re not a liberal, you get to be an a$$hole 24/7 and proud of it! Therefore it’s impossible for you to ever be hypocritical.
Shame on you, Cam, for not being “compassionate” to gays who don’t go along with the liberal agenda!
GlitterKidder
What would you expect from a state where it’s legal for brothers & sisters to marry? I’m sure my facts are just as correct as theirs.
kernowcraig
@Mezaien: Your comment is just as offensive as the asshole who think its right to insult gay people!
Spike
Clearly the Christian Taliban is doing well in Texas.
kernowcraig
As a gay guy in his 40’s, every time I see people attack the hard-fought rights of LGBT people, its a little upsetting. It took me many years to “Come out” and even know I don’t advertise the fact I am guy. As one of the many gay christians, its also pretty upsetting when you hear gay people attack Christians because the smallest % of so called christians have an agenda against LGBT people. Its a but like the assumption that all gay people are camp queens! isn’t it about time we were better than the idiots that call names?
DonW
I’m sure they’d make it mandatory if they possible could.
Cam
@kernowcraig: said…
“As one of the many gay christians, its also pretty upsetting when you hear gay people attack Christians because the smallest % of so called Christians have an agenda against LGBT people. Its a but like the assumption that all gay people are camp queens! isn’t it about time we were better than the idiots that call names?”
___________________________________________
1. It is interesting that you indicate you don’t like Christians being labeled or attacked and then attack feminine gays.
2. If it is only the smallest percentage of Christians, then please explain why anti-gay bills have been enshrined in the GOP platform. Are you saying that the voters and politicians of that party are not Christians?
3. Do you know what has helped get the Mormon church to somewhat tamp down it’s rampant attacks against gays? The fact that the actual Mormon rank and file was getting uncomfortable being labeled bigots. They didn’t mind voting for or not caring about attacks on gay rights. But when suddenly they realized that people thought Mormons were bigots, suddenly that brought it home to them and some change started to happen from within. Lying about there being no homophobia in Christian denominations does not help matters, it is covering up the problem.
ingyaom
@kernowcraig: People actually choose to be christian; they don’t choose to be gay, so they have to take responsibility for their hypocritical christianity.
James Hart
@Mezaien: I think you need to work on your grammar.
James Hart
Political parties are not religions. Why in God’s name would any political party involve itself in this type of stuff? Sexual orientation should NOT be a topic of concern for a political party operating within a liberal democracy. This sounds more like the Southern Baptist Convention than a state party convention.
jmmartin
The GOP has a wee problem bringing up reparative therapy during midterm elections. Smart Democratic candidates might bring up the hypocrisy of it. After all, wasn’t Rep. Michelle Bachmann raising hell about Big Government, trying to privatize Social Security and replace Medicare with vouchers — even as husband Marcus Bachmann was doing repartive therapy on our tax dollars through Medicaid, one of the very programs Michelle promised to end if elected president. That lgbtq people can be repaired is not only absurd (nature v. nurture argument inserted here), it is anti-Millenial. Young people don’t care why someone is the way they are (“as is” in both William M. Hoffman’s play and Lady Gaga’s song), just so long as they are nice people.
BB45
I agree with mazaien, and if no likes to bad pussy!
DuMaurier
@James Hart: That’s my feeling. Aside from everything else, what was the practical point of including something like this? If they hadn’t, would anyone have said, “Hey, how oome you didn’t say anything about gay conversion therapy??” I’m pretty sure that even among the Texas Republican rank-and-file, things like jobs, education, etc are higher up in their list of concerns.
DickieJohnson
@kernowcraig: Thanks, I’ve been telling him similar things for weeks.
DickieJohnson
@Mezaien: Not again! For a few days you were sounding almost sane. Go back on your meds, Nazi, or S.T.F.U.