According to an article in today's Los Angeles Daily Journal (hidden behind a pay wall, of course), a California law that "prohibits licensed psychotherapists from counseling gay minors on how to become heterosexual" is facing a test.
Quotes and thoughts below the Orange Squiggle of Power.
The article is short (less than 10 column inches), but it says that U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller held a hearing on the 1st Amendment implications of the law.
There are 4 'counselors' and sets of parents who are suing to overturn the law, saying it has helped their children. They do not specify in the article on what that help has been or how it was achieved, of course. The attorney named in the article says that banning these practices is a bad idea, because it "would force young people who do not want to be gay to turn to unlicensed counselors."
Cart? Horse? Which goes first?
The law, which was passed by the California Legislature and signed by Governor Jerry Brown in October, states that mental health professionals such as psychologists, social workers, family counselors, psychiatrists who use 'sexual orientation change efforts' on clients under 18 would be engaging in unprofessional conduct and subject to discipline by state licensing boards.
Attorneys are arguing semantics and meaning, debating the definition of 'sets of actions' and free speech.
No decision was noted in the article.
This is the first I had even heard about this law, which I consider a great idea, and a necessity. If I hear more, I will report back.