In Wake Of Controversial ‘Ex-Gay’ Billboard Lawmakers Introduce Ban On Conversion Therapy

Following widespread news about a highly criticized billboard promoting harmful “ex-gay” therapy, Virginia lawmakers have introduced a bill to ban the practice on minors.

In December the anti-gay “ex-therapy” advocates PFOX put up a billboard adjacent to a busy Virginia highway promoting the harmful and dangerous junk science known as “reparative therapy.” Recently, lawmakers in the Commonwealth have filed a bill that would ban the practice on minors. California, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. already have passed similar legislation and they have stood up to judicial scrutiny.

WATCH: Model Featured On ‘Ex-Gay’ Group’s Twins Billboard Is Proudly Gay, Not A Twin

PFOX’s message, that “Nobody is born gay,” and the false claim that the existence of gay and straight identical twins proves it, has been thoroughly debunked.

Nearly every major medical association in the U.S. and several internationally for years have cautioned against attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation. Now several states are looking to protect minors from the practice, which can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, and other harmful effects.

Local CBS affiliate WTVR filmed Mathew Shurka, a victim of ex-gay therapy, at a press conference.

“My father believed that there was a chance that this could just be a phase, maybe this is just something I’m going through,” Shurka said.

He said one therapist prescribed him Viagra to help him have sex with women, another therapist told him to no longer speak with his mother and sister.

“My grades started to fall in school. I went to a straight ‘A’ student to a failing student. I was having depression,” Shurka said, adding that he now has issues with intimacy.

WTVR also included Family Foundation of Virginia President Victoria Cobb who claims that “Virginia law is clear that parents have a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the care of their children, a right this legislation clearly violates.”

That may or may not be, but federal courts have upheld bans on ex-gay therapy for minors.

 

Image: Screenshot via NBC12/WWBT

 

Related:

No One Is Born Gay? Hundreds Join In Protest Of ‘Ex-Gay’ Billboard

Richmond’s Gay Community Strikes Back With ‘We Are All Born To Love’ Billboard

Lawmaker Files Religious Liberty Bill Against ‘Same-Sex Marriage Or Homosexual Behavior’