Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Our Neighbors To The North

Have got their act together and passed bill banning conversion therapy,
Canada bans conversion therapy, joining a handful of other nations
Several other countries, including Germany and Brazil — and 20 U.S. states — have banned the debunked practice.
NBC Out News
By Matt Lavietes
December 9, 2021


Canada this week banned conversion therapy, a debunked treatment that aims to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

A bill making it a crime to subject Canadians of any age to the discredited practice became law Wednesday after Canada's Parliament passed the measure this month.

"It’s official: Our government’s legislation banning the despicable and degrading practice of conversion therapy has received Royal Assent — meaning it is now law. LGBTQ2 Canadians, we’ll always stand up for you and your rights," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on Twitter.
We could never do that here, it would never pass in the Senate, and of all the states that banned conversion therapy most were Democratic or were Democratic when they banned conversion therapy.
Canada's ban follows that of Germany, Malta, Ecuador, Brazil and Taiwan. Some of the nations, such as Germany, have passed bans exclusively for minors, whereas others, like Malta, have passed bans for all citizens.
A total of 20 states now ban it, including Connecticut and it passed here with bipartisan support. We only had toking testimony at the hearing because it was sailing through. But down south it is different, the courts are blocking the bans,
Trump-Appointed Judges Find Conversion Therapy Bans Unconstitutional
A federal appeals court blocked enforcement of two Florida laws banning use of the practice on minors, saying they violate free speech rights, with Trump judges in the majority.
The Advocate
By Trudy Ring
November 20, 2020


A federal appeals court has blocked enforcement of two Florida laws banning the use of conversion therapy on minors.

The bans in the city of Boca Raton and Palm Beach County, which includes the city, violate the guarantee of free speech under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, says a 2-1 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, issued Friday. Other courts have upheld such bans to date, including two at the federal appeals level, and the judges who ruled against the Florida bans were both appointees of Donald Trump. The decision applies only to Florida, Georgia, and Alabama — the states in the Eleventh Circuit. No cities or counties in Georgia or Alabama have such a ban, and none of the states has a statewide ban, so as a practical matter it affects only the municipalities in Florida that have adopted such laws.

“We understand and appreciate that the therapy is highly controversial,” the ruling reads. “But the First Amendment has no carveout for controversial speech. We hold that the challenged ordinances violate the First Amendment because they are content-based regulations of speech that cannot survive strict scrutiny.”
Torturing someone is not “Free Speech.”
A trial court had denied their request for a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the laws, but the appeals court granted it. In a decision by a three-judge panel of the appeals court, two judges appointed by Trump ruled in favor of the injunction, one appointed by President Barack Obama against. The city and county could accept the ruling, effectively ending the case, or seek a rehearing by the full court of appeals, according to a message sent by Palm Beach County Attorney Denise Marie Nieman to the County Board of County Commissioners. She said she is continuing to review the ruling.
All the medical associations have said that conversion therapy causes harm to the individuals and since all the laws here in the US are just for those under 18, adults can be sadomasochistic and get all the “therapy” that want but the children are protected.

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