On Banning Conversion Therapy

A year ago, the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, pushed for county commissioners to take up the issue of banning “conversion therapy” for children, the controversial practice in which therapists attempt to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

Palm Beach County had the opportunity to be the first county in Florida to ban conversion therapy for people under the age of 18. But thus far, the commission has dropped the ball on creating a county-side umbrella policy banning the measure outright, so HRC president Rand Hoch has decided to go door-to-door (or, rather, municipality-to-municipality) to get local leaders to do what the county has not accomplished the past 12 months.

The reason this is “big” news now is this past week, Wellington Mayor Anne Gerwig cast the lone dissenting ballot during a preliminary reading of an ordinance that would ban conversion therapy within village boundaries. Several other municipalities in Palm Beach County have approved similar ordinances banning conversion therapy by medical professionals, but they were all unanimous votes.

According to the American Psychological Association, conversion therapy refers to psychotherapy aimed at eliminating homosexual desires and is used by people who do not think homosexuality is one variation within human sexual orientation, but rather still believe homosexuality is a mental disorder. The APA has concluded trying to change someone's sexual orientation can cause depression, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse. 

When the APA published the first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (the “bible” used by mental health professionals to diagnose psychiatric disorders) in 1952, homosexuality was defined as a psychiatric disorder. Although there was no scientific evidence to support the diagnosis, it remained in the DSM until 1973.

California was the first state to outright ban conversion therapy in 2013. Conservative Christian legal organizations - representing individual parents, children and therapists - said the law violated therapists' free expression and parents' rights to make important medical decisions for their children. Since then, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. have passed laws banning licensed mental health providers from offering the practice to children.

Gerwig said she was bothered the ordinance would prohibit licensed professionals from practicing conversion therapy to minors, but not unlicensed youth counselors. Under current Florida law, this is accurate; although the Wellington ordinance would ban the practice by medical professionals, by state regulation it could not ban its use by religious and other non-professional groups.

The past two legislative sessions, State Sen. Jeff Clemens has introduced legislation to prohibit conversion therapy statewide. However, the Florida Senate refused to take action on the bills. Clemens intends to reintroduce the bill in the 2018 legislative session. I urge both the county and state to ban the practice completely.

Going Rogue

“History will be the ultimate judge of last weekend’s historic Paris Agreement, the pact that commits 196 nations to work together in an attempt to limit climate change and stem the continued rise of greenhouse gas emissions.”

This was how I opened my commentary 18 months ago on the long-awaited - and much-needed - multi-nation pact to correct years of environmental abuse. Now, because of the irrational actions of President Donald Trump last week, the United States will be watching history from the sidelines, no longer capable of being either a partner or an active participant as the rest of the world moves forward.

The United States has gone rogue.

The worst part of Trump’s action for the United States as a whole is that we have yet again handed over our role as hegemonic leader on the global stage. Our allies are again dismayed, our business leaders’ wishes defied, our international competitiveness shaken, and ability to create job growth shackled. Further, under Trump’s “leadership,” the U.S. has yet again forfeited an opportunity to lead the way on an issue of international importance. Trump’s decision is based on volumes of fake news, ignoring numerous studies showing the reduction of carbon emissions would not only reduce greenhouse gasses and reduce damage to the environment, but also would drive economic growth in multiple ways.

The worst part of Trump’s action for everyday citizens is that it adds to the overwhelming burden being placed on future generations to deal with the idiocy of modern political actors. We are unsure which is the appetizer and which the main dish when looking at the buffet line of rising seas and trillion-dollar debt. And of course, the irony is those generations will need to add to said debt in order to pay for construction of infrastructure to deal with those rising seas, especially in areas such as southeast Florida.

In quick response, nearly 1,500 companies and institutions - including more than a dozen Fortune 500 businesses - signed a pact saying they are still committed to meeting the Paris Agreement standards; further, a dozen states and nearly 300 cities across the nation have committed through coalitions to stand by what was agreed to in December 2015. California passed legislation putting the state on a path to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.

Sadly, Florida is not among those dozen states to take proactive measures, despite being one of the states most at-risk due to climate change. Yet. But a number of Florida mayors - including Jeri Muoio of West Palm Beach, Tomas Regalado of Miami, Philip Levine of Miami Beach, Buddy Dyer or Orlando, Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg, Jack Seiler of Ft. Lauderdale, Andrew Gillum of Tallahassee, and Bob Buckhorn of Tampa - are part of the 274-strong “Climate Mayors” coalition that has pledged to work together to strengthen local efforts for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting efforts for binding federal and global-level policy making.

Here’s hoping our federal leaders take note and reverse course, before further damage takes place.