The American apex court ruled on Monday, 4th May, the ban on ‘gay conversion therapy‘ signed into law by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in August 2013, saying it did not violate the free speech or religious rights of counselors offering “gay conversion therapy” to convert homosexual minors into heterosexuals.
The court declined to hear a challenge of the New Jersey’s ban on what is termed the “gay conversion therapy” for patients under 18 years old, which implies that a September 2014 ruling by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding the ban will stand.
The panel also said the plaintiffs, who included licensed therapists and a Christian counseling group, lacked standing to pursue claims on behalf of their minor clients. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder, but various conservative and religious groups have since argued that sexual orientation can be changed.
Plaintiffs challenging the New Jersey ban included two counselors, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality and the American Association of Christian Counselors.
The case is King v. Governor of New Jersey, 14-672.
