We Need You to Ask Governor Brown to Protect LGBT Youth from Dangerous Psychological Abuse
September 11, 2012
Dear ,
Soon, Governor Brown will consider whether to protect LGBT young people from the psychological abuse inflicted on them by deceitful mental health professionals who falsely claim to be able to change their sexual orientation or gender expression.
Senate Bill 1172—authored by Senator Ted Lieu—will stop mental health professionals from harming young people with these dangerous practices, which include the use of shame, verbal abuse, pornography, and even aversion training.
And this is where we need your help.
You can end these abusive practices—which cause long-lasting depression and have far too often resulted in young people taking their lives—by telling the governor that you want him to protect young people by signing the bill into law.
It is well settled by the legislature and the courts in California that sexual orientation is not changeable. Yet presently, California is allowing state licensed professionals to make false claims that they can change sexual orientation by subjecting youth to these dangerous practices.
Young lives are at stake, and we want to be sure they are protected from the serious harm caused by mental health professionals who repeatedly tell them that they are bad because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a proud co-sponsor of SB 1172 along with Equality California, Gaylesta, Mental Health America of Northern California, Lambda Legal, and the Courage Campaign.
This is the most important bill we’ve ever worked on.
We can’t turn our backs on young people, especially when all it takes is a few minutes to either tweet the governor directly at @JerryBrownGov (using the #SB1172 hash tag), call his office, or send an email using the sample text below.
Can you help?
In solidarity,
SAMPLE EMAIL
Dear Governor Brown,
I am writing to you today to ask that you sign Senate Bill 1172 by Senator Ted Lieu, which would protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender young people from psychological abuse inflicted on them by deceitful mental health professionals who falsely claim to be able to change their sexual orientation or gender expression.
These abusive practices cause serious harm to LGBT youth, including depression, shame, decreased self-esteem, social withdrawal, substance abuse, and suicide. Some of the techniques used by these practitioners include the use of shame, verbal abuse, pornography, and even aversion training.
Several leading medical and mental health organizations have issued warnings that there is no credible evidence that any type of psychotherapy can change a person’s sexual orientation and that efforts to do so may cause serious and lasting harm. And yet, every day, unscrupulous therapists in California continue to mislead parents and to subject youth to this dangerous practice.
Too many young people have taken their own lives or suffered lifelong harm after being told, falsely, by a therapist or counselor that who they are is wrong, sick or the result of personal or moral failure.
We must ensure that no young person is subjected to this damaging and discredited practice.
Please sign SB 1172.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
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Please, pick up the phone and call the Governor’s office right now. Follow the prompts to support SB 1172 (Lieu).
1. Dial 916.445.2841
2. Press 1 to continue in English.
3. Press 6 to speak with a representative of Governor Jerry Brown's office.
4. Voice your support for SB 1172, the bill banning dangerous psychological abuse of minors.
Email:
Email the governor using the sample text at the bottom of this email. On his contact page, click on “SB01172” in the dropdown menu, and follow directions to send your email.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.
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