[ad_1]
A New York City law banning the so-called conversion therapy for homosexuals would be repealed under the law introduced Thursday, fearing that an ongoing federal lawsuit would lead to a negative decision on the LGBTQ community if the Case was to be brought before the Supreme Court.
Chairman of the Board, Corey Johnson, introduced the repeal in what he termed "painful decision".
The Council had adopted a ban on the widely discredited practice of changing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity less than two years ago at the end of 2017 and came into force Last year.
The proposed repeal now goes to a committee hearing, scheduled for next week, then will have a vote across the board and, if passed, would be signed by the mayor.
"After intense deliberation, the board concluded that it was better to take this drastic step," Johnson said in a statement. "The courts have changed dramatically in recent years and we can not rely on them to advocate for much needed protections for the LGBTQ community. To be clear, this so-called therapy is barbaric and inhumane, but repealing this law seemed to be the best way forward. "
In January, Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit on behalf of a therapist in Brooklyn. She stated that the ban violated the freedom of speech between a therapist and her client.
Lead counsel for the Alliance, Roger Brooks, said that if the repeal was passed, the organization would "congratulate the move."
He called the law "very extreme" and rejected the idea that it was vulnerable only because of a more conservative Supreme Court.
"This is not so much a political problem as the well-established First Amendment law," he said.
A ban on the state of New York applying only to minors would still be in effect.
Therapy has also been prohibited to minors in other states. Brooks said some of these laws were currently being challenged by other organizations, and he hoped this would continue.
Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
[ad_2]
Source link