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Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Hate group reveals plan to overturn conversion therapy bans nationwide
Hate group reveals plan to overturn conversion therapy bans nationwide:
The Christian anti-LGBTQ+ legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) — defined as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center — is hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn state bans on so-called conversion therapy for minors. Though the court hasn’t agreed to take on the case just yet, it provide insight into how ADF plans on challenging more conversion therapy bans in the future.
The ADF is providing legal counsel to licensed marriage and family counselor Brian Tingley in Tingley v. Ferguson, a legal challenge to Washington state’s ban. Tingley says the ban violates his rights to free speech and free exercise of religion, The New Republic reported.
Related:
Fake medical group tells moms to submit to their husbands to keep their kids from being transgender
It also tells dads to go on “man time” dates with their sons and make them do manly things like hunt animals and mow the lawn.
Tingley’s petition to the court says that his speech as a therapist should be considered as “speech” and not professional “conduct.” He said he “lives in continuous fear of government persecution” because the ban “forbids him from speaking, treating his professional license as a license for government censorship.” Tingley says he should be able to offer conversion therapy — even though it has been widely disavowed as a form of psychological torture by numerous American mental health organizations — because some kids are actively seeking to change their sexual orientation.
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His case may actually be aided by the 2018 Supreme Court decision National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra which said that the government couldn’t “compel” or “regulate” anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers in California to inform pregnant people about state-funded reproductive health services.
However, Georgia State University law professor Anthony Michael Kreis told the aforementioned publication that the cases are different. Bans on conversion therapy aren’t trying to force Tingley and other therapists to say things they don’t want to say, Kreis argues. Rather, he reasons, state bans are trying to prevent medical conduct from resulting in “tangible harms.”
A 2013 survey showed that 84% of former patients who tried ex-gay therapy said it inflicted lasting shame and emotional harm. Additionally, March 2022 peer-reviewed study from The Trevor Project showed that 13% of LGBTQ+ youth nationwide had reported being subjected to conversion therapy. Of those, 83% were subjected to it before reaching the age of 18. The study showed that young people who underwent conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to attempt suicide afterward. Numerous conversion therapy advocates have later come out as still gay and apologized for the harm that conversion therapy causes.
Furthermore, Kreis notes that the bans provide specific exemptions for “purely religious” speech and also that the government already heavily regulates the professional fields of therapy and healthcare. Thus, the bans are just an extension of that.
Katherine Franke, a law professor at Columbia University, said the ADF will use similar free speech arguments to try and overturn regulations involving professional conduct.
“We have all sorts of regulations for licensed mental health professionals, and the patients rely on this kind of safety that those licensing requirements impose,” she told The New Republic. “Opening the door in this kind of case… opens the door to quite a few other situations where a person may have an objection to what is a public norm or an expert judgment about the safety of other people. It shouldn’t be your private decision that you’re not going to agree with that and therefore [will] not follow that law, when that is a condition of your licensure.”
Franke said the ADF’s goal is to use religious freedom as a pretense to overrule “any reasonable government regulation that is enacted in the public’s interest.” The ADF repeatedly drafts legislation and files lawsuits to challenge any expanse of LGBTQ+ civil rights. Recently, ADF successfully argued in front of the Supreme Court that Colorado’s anti-discrimination law silenced a Christian website designer’s free speech, even though no one had actually asked the designer to create a website that went against her Christian beliefs.
The methods of so-called conversion therapists include encouraging queer people not to masturbate, redirecting their sexual energy into exercise, “covert aversion” (a fancy name for imagining possible negative consequences of being queer), Bible study, directing same-sex sexual desire onto opposite-sex partners, inflicting pain and humiliation anytime LGBTQ+ feelings arise, and forcing people to act out stereotypical gender roles in behavior and personal appearance.
Twenty-nine U.S. states have either passed full or partial bans on conversion therapy for minors. In three of those states — Alabama, Georgia, and Florida — court injunctions have stopped the bans from going into effect while legal challenges to the bans proceed in court.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. The Trans Lifeline (1-877-565-8860) is staffed by trans people and will not contact law enforcement. The Trevor Project provides a safe, judgement-free place to talk for youth via chat, text (678-678), or phone (1-866-488-7386). Help is available at all three resources in English and Spanish.
Monday, October 30, 2023
The morning read for Monday, October 30
The morning read for Monday, October 30:
The justices will hear oral argument this morning in Culley v. Marshall. Listen live at 10 a.m. EDT. Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles, commentary, and other noteworthy links related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Monday morning read:
- Supreme Court wades into social media wars over free speech (Lawrence Hurley, NBC News)
- How the US supreme court and an Idaho couple upended wetlands protection (Oliver Milman, The Guardian)
- ‘Trump Too Small’ T-shirt slogan turns into US Supreme Court battle (Blake Brittain, Reuters)
- As U.S. Reels From Maine Mass Shooting, This Supreme Court Case Could Soon Loosen Gun Restrictions Even More (Alison Durkee, Forbes)
- The Supreme Court Gets a Social-Media Test (The Editorial Board, The Wall Street Journal)
The post The morning read for Monday, October 30 appeared first on SCOTUSblog.
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Wisconsin Lawmakers Spotted at Far-Right Rally by Gays Against Groomers
Wisconsin Lawmakers Spotted at Far-Right Rally by Gays Against Groomers:
Three Republican Wisconsin state legislators attended a rally held by right-wing extremists on Saturday. Reps. John Macco, Nate Gustafson, and Joy Goeben were present at a far-right demonstration organized by Gays Against Groomers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
Three Republican Wisconsin state legislators attended a rally held by right-wing extremists on Saturday. Reps. John Macco, Nate Gustafson, and Joy Goeben were present at a far-right demonstration organized by Gays Against Groomers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
Johnson And Wife Led Christian Nationalist Seminars
Johnson And Wife Led Christian Nationalist Seminars:
Mother Jones reports:
Rep. Mike Johnson, the newly elected Republican House speaker, used to conduct a seminar in churches premised on the idea that the United States is a “Christian nation.” This ministry, as he has referred to it, is yet more evidence that Johnson is committed to a hardcore Christian fundamentalism that shapes his views of politics and government.
The seminar, titled “Answers for Our Times: Government, Culture, and Christianity,” was organized by Onward Christian Education Services, Inc., a company owned by his wife, Kelly Johnson, a Christian counselor and anti-abortion activist who calls herself a “leader in the pro-family movement.
After one such presentation on February 24, 2019, at the First Baptist Church in Bossier City, Louisiana, where they are members—an event that also featured Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council—a local television news show reported that the seminar’s goal was to “keep God in Government.” Johnson posted the article on his congressional website.
Read the full article. There’s much more. No paywall.
The post Johnson And Wife Led Christian Nationalist Seminars appeared first on Joe.My.God..
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Friday, October 27, 2023
Thursday, October 26, 2023
Maine Massacre Suspect’s Anti-Transgender, Extremist Views Emerge Amid Pleas For Gun Control
Maine Massacre Suspect’s Anti-Transgender, Extremist Views Emerge Amid Pleas For Gun Control:
The suspect in a Maine mass shooting, Robert Card, has been revealed to hold extremist right-wing views, particularly against the transgender community.
The suspect in a Maine mass shooting, Robert Card, has been revealed to hold extremist right-wing views, particularly against the transgender community.
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
The morning read for Wednesday, October 25
The morning read for Wednesday, October 25:
Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles, commentary, and other noteworthy links related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Wednesday morning read:
- Florida asks Supreme Court to allow its anti-drag law to take effect (Ariane de Vogue, CNN)
- Bipartisan Legal Scholars Urge Supreme Court To Impose 18-Year Term Limits (Alison Durkee, Forbes)
- An Arizona drug case related to the 6th Amendment is headed to Supreme Court. What to know (Morgan Fischer, The Arizona Republic)
- City Government Unions Are Shrinking After Supreme Court Decision (Claudia Irizarry Aponte & Suhail Bhat, The City)
- Gay marriage is legal in Texas. A justice who won’t marry same-sex couples heads to court anyway (Zachary Schermele, USA Today)
The post The morning read for Wednesday, October 25 appeared first on SCOTUSblog.
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Florida Appeals Anti-Drag Law To Supreme Court
Florida Appeals Anti-Drag Law To Supreme Court:
Courthouse News reports:
Florida appealed to the Supreme Court on Tuesday in an effort to enforce restrictions on drag shows throughout the state. The state wants the justices to limit a lower court order blocking the Protection of Children Act, which bans children from “adult live performances.”
A federal judge found the law was aimed at drag shows, barring it from taking effect. ”As long as the district court’s preliminary injunction remains in place, Florida is powerless to enforce a law its elected representatives have enacted for the protection of its children,” Henry Whitaker, Florida’s solicitor general, wrote.
Republican Governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis signed the bill in May along with others that targeted the LGBTQ+ community.
Read the full article.
The post Florida Appeals Anti-Drag Law To Supreme Court appeared first on Joe.My.God..
Texas Supreme Court Set To Hear Suit From Christian Judge Who Refuses To Officiate Same-Sex Marriages
Texas Supreme Court Set To Hear Suit From Christian Judge Who Refuses To Officiate Same-Sex Marriages:
The Dallas Morning News reports:
Dianne Hensley felt guilty. sitting behind her desk at the county courthouse in Waco, she could hear someone crying outside her office door. The young woman wanted to get married, Hensley recalled, but she couldn’t find anyone to do the ceremony.
It was 2016, the year after the U.S. Supreme Court toppled bans on same-sex marriage in Texas and other states across the country. Told they now must marry all couples or none, the justices of the peace at the courthouse in McLennan County, including Hensley, chose the latter.
The crying woman helped Hensley make a decision. She called a lawyer to see if she could start performing marriages again — but only for opposite-sex couples. Seven years later, Hensley’s lawsuit is set to be heard this week by the Texas Supreme Court.
From my July 2023 report:
After Hensley was warned by the judicial conduct commission, she filed a lawsuit claiming the investigation and warning “substantially burdened the free exercise of her religion, with no compelling justification.” She seeks damages of $10,000. She has been represented by the First Liberty Institute, a high-profile religious liberty legal group based in Plano. The legal group also has strong ties to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
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The post Texas Supreme Court Set To Hear Suit From Christian Judge Who Refuses To Officiate Same-Sex Marriages appeared first on Joe.My.God..
Monday, October 23, 2023
Walsh: Inciting Anti-Trans Violence Is “Worth The Risk”
“I care because the truth matters. Now, why do I care about gender ideology? I care because it harms children. I care because of what it does to women and their identities being appropriated and degraded by crossdressing men with fetishes.
“But even before that I care because the truth matters and you are saying things that are not true and I’m not gonna just let you say things that aren’t true without, without disputing it. The truth matters more than anything.
“It matters more than your ideology. It matters more than your preferences. It matters more than your feelings or your self-identification or your gender identity or your sexual orientation.
“The truth matters more than anything — it matters more than your life and more than mine. You know, trans activists say that if you talk about this issue — that when I talk about this issue — that I’m putting their lives at risk somehow.
“If that’s true, well, you know what, its a risk worth taking. If speaking the truth puts your life at risk I’ll still speak it. It’s a risk worth taking. If speaking the truth puts my life at risk, I’ll still speak it.” – Daily Wire host Matt Walsh.
The post Walsh: Inciting Anti-Trans Violence Is “Worth The Risk” appeared first on Joe.My.God..
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Sunday, October 22, 2023
Far-Right Texas PAC Ousts Leader After Nazi Meeting
The Texas Tribune reports:
Former Rep. Jonathan Stickland’s name has been removed from the website of Defend Texas Liberty, a political action committee and major donor to top Texas Republicans, where he served as president. Defend Texas Liberty’s website now lists Luke Macias, who previously served as the group’s director, as its president. The change follows more than a week of outrage after Nick Fuentes, had spent nearly 7 hours at the offices of a consulting firm, Pale Horse Strategies, that is also owned by Stickland.
Defend Texas Liberty is a major donor to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton as well as other influential Republicans. The group is funded almost entirely by two West Texas oil tycoons, Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, and was a key defender of Paxton during his impeachment trial this summer. Defend Texas Liberty gave $3 million in loans and donations to Patrick months before he presided over Paxton’s acquittal on all impeachment charges in front of the Texas Senate.
Read the full article. During his time in the Texas House, Jonathan Strickland appeared here several times for his bizarre pronouncements such as 2020’s “if aliens exist, they need Jesus” and his 2019 rant that all vaccines are created by “communist sorcery.”
The post Far-Right Texas PAC Ousts Leader After Nazi Meeting appeared first on Joe.My.God..
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Saturday, October 21, 2023
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