Amid all the talk about tariffs with China, and how they steal America&#8217;s intellectual property and establish all kinds of trade barriers with this country, you might have missed this story. It&#8217;s not about economics, but at the same time, it tells you a lot about what authoritarian countries like China fear the most.
Beginning on May 1, China will accelerate its crackdown on religion, and Christianity in particular. Foreign missionaries will be banned from preaching unless they obtain formal approval from the government.
According to Chinese <a href="https://www.persecution.org/2025/04/04/china-moves-to-formally-ban-missionary-activity/">state media</a>, the goal of the new regulation is to protect &#8220;national security&#8221; and &#8220;political stability&#8221; by forcing people to attend official, state-run religious services with pre-approved messaging. Additionally, Chinese state media has recently boasted about the fact that religious groups — which the government calls &#8220;cult organizations&#8221; — have been increasingly shut down in China. At this point, one of the fastest ways to disappear in China is to deliver a sermon that upsets the ruling party.
Of course, this is the exact opposite of the result we were promised when the United States normalized free trade with China several decades ago. As Bill Clinton put it, “Membership in the W.T.O. will not create a free society in China overnight or guarantee that China will play by global rules. &#8230; But over time, I believe it will move China faster and further in the right direction.”
That hasn&#8217;t happened. Instead, China is now aggressively moving to crush Christians, for the simple reason that Christians believe in a higher power than their government. We have not introduced Western norms to China. We have not exported our values to them. Instead, despite the promises of free trade, China has successfully exported its totalitarian impulses to the West. One by one, Western countries are adopting anti-Christian crackdowns, to the point that they&#8217;re making it illegal for Christians to practice their faith.
What&#8217;s happening right now in New South Wales, which is a state on the east coast of Australia, makes this very clear. Earlier this month, something called the &#8220;Conversion Practices Ban Act of 2024&#8221; became law in New South Wales. This law, by its own terms, allows the authorities to arrest Christians for praying. That is not an exaggeration or an overstatement. It&#8217;s actually <a href="https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/act-2024-019">written</a> into the legislation. From <a href="https://antidiscrimination.nsw.gov.au/discrimination/conversion-practices/frequently-asked-questions.html#What4">the government</a> of New South Wales: &#8220;Praying with or over a person with the intent to change or suppress their sexuality or gender identity is unlawful. It is unlawful even if that person has asked you to pray for them to be able to change or suppress their sexuality or gender identity.&#8221;
This again is in Australia, a western nation. Not China. Praying with someone who wants you to pray with them could land you in jail. That&#8217;s happening right now, in a supposed western democracy.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mws-ep-1573-member-exclusive?elementPosition=2&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h3>
In other words, if someone wants to pray to God so that he can overcome his gender dysphoria — a condition that, by definition, causes significant mental distress — then his pastor cannot pray with him. In fact, his own family members cannot pray with him. If the police discover that any unapproved prayers have been occurring, they can kick down the doors of the church, or the family home, and haul away the violators. And then they&#8217;ll spend up to five years in prison for their crimes against the state: The crime of praying.
Just to emphasize this point, the government of New South Wales published the single most Orwellian video you&#8217;ll ever see. No matter how many times you&#8217;ve heard the word &#8220;Orwellian,&#8221; believe me, this qualifies. This is the government&#8217;s attempt to intimidate the millions of people who live in New South Wales, with their new law that bans prayer. 
Here&#8217;s how the video begins:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="001 prayer can be deeply harmful" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L09nr4CszAY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
First of all, by the terms of this legislation, every single gender activist in Australia is a criminal. They all believe, without exception, that you can choose to be &#8220;LGBTQA&#8221; (which is apparently the acronym now). There&#8217;s no other way to explain people who ping-pong between genders at will, or people who de-transition. In fact the concept of “fluidity” is now dogma in the LGBT religion. Fluidity — sexual fluidity, gender fluidity — means that you can change at will from one sexuality or gender to another. If someone identifies as a Bi-gender Toasterkin, and then a few weeks later decides he&#8217;s really a Demi-gender, half-humanoid alpaca, or whatever, then at some point, we can conclude that this person made a choice to identify in some arbitrary way. And every step of the way, gender activists — according to the tenets of their ideology — have no choice but to affirm everything. This is one of the reasons trans activists keep losing in court, by the way. They have to admit that, under their logic, so-called &#8220;Trans people&#8221; can choose, at any time, to be trans or not trans. And therefore, because &#8220;trans status&#8221; is malleable — again, malleable by definition, by THEIR definition —  they&#8217;re not entitled to civil rights protections, which only apply to immutable, unchanging traits.
As the video continues, things become even more dystopian.
There&#8217;s this line for example: &#8220;All people should feel welcome and valued and be able to live authentically and with PRIDE.&#8221; 
Yes, all people — every single one of them — should feel welcome and valued. They should all be able to &#8220;live authentically.&#8221; But this promise apparently does not apply to Christians who believe (as all of humanity did until 15 minutes ago) that men are men and women are women. Those Christians do not have the right to live authentically or &#8220;feel welcomed.&#8221; Instead, they can go straight to prison. Here&#8217;s more of the video, because again, as it goes along, things get worse and worse:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="002 introducing law" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/INw4m7qR-CI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This is where they casually establish that &#8220;family members&#8221; — including a mother and father — can be incarcerated if they don&#8217;t affirm their child&#8217;s imagined gender identity. And of course they do it with a sing-songy, HR lady reading the voiceover. Scratch an HR lady and you will find a power-mad despot, every single time.
We&#8217;ve <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/conversion-therapy-bans-are-an-outrageous-attack-on-free-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">talked</a> about so-called &#8220;conversion therapy&#8221; before, and how efforts to ban the practice are both unconstitutional and incoherent. In this country, the Supreme Court is about to hear a case concerning whether Colorado&#8217;s ban on conversion therapy violates the First Amendment. The problem is that bans on &#8220;conversion therapy,&#8221; in every case, are premised on the idea that sexual orientation cannot be changed. But in the same breath, the government of New South Wales will tell you that sex is extremely changeable. In fact, you can go to the doctor and change it tomorrow. See the problem? If you&#8217;re changing your sex, then you&#8217;re also changing your sexual orientation, under their logic. A man who supposedly &#8220;becomes&#8221; a woman, but retains his attraction to men, would become a lesbian, in their view. This is the logical problem with these conversion therapy bans that they simply have no answer for. It&#8217;s like dividing by zero. 
But now they&#8217;re using this phony logic to justify throwing parents and priests in prison. Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="003 report , can lead to prison" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cq0cqMeI-IY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The scope of this law is so broad that you could probably claim I&#8217;m violating it, if my show is broadcast in New South Wales. They want Australians to snitch on each other if they get a whiff of anyone who dares to suggest that gender ideology isn&#8217;t real. In a lot of ways, it&#8217;s like the COVID lockdowns all over again. You might remember that, at the height of the &#8220;pandemic,&#8221; there was a nationwide manhunt in Australia when some guy sneezed in an empty elevator without a mask on. Now they&#8217;re going to have manhunts over unauthorized prayers.
If you don&#8217;t believe that, consider what just happened a few weeks ago to Billboard Chris. He was peacefully standing in a market in Brisbane, wearing a sign that expressed his opposition to the castration of children in the name of gender ideology. He only spoke to people who spoke to him first. He didn&#8217;t obstruct anyone&#8217;s movement or anything like that. People were walking around him the whole time. There&#8217;s no dispute about any of this; it&#8217;s all on video. Nevertheless, Brisbane police arrested Billboard Chris, on camera. Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="004 billboard chris" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MUv1IlzyT-M?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
They arrested him for standing in a public place with a sign. There&#8217;s no doubt that, if the sign had been pro-gay marriage or whatever, then none of this would have happened. If you watch the full video, the police can&#8217;t name a single other instance where they&#8217;ve jailed someone for peacefully protesting at that location. But Billboard Chris blasphemed Australia&#8217;s state religion, so they took him away in handcuffs. And now they&#8217;re planning to do the same thing to the clergy.
The other day, an Australian commentator named Evelyn Rae outlined exactly what&#8217;s happening here. Here was her assessment, which is worth playing — not only because she&#8217;s right, but also because it&#8217;s good to know that Australia hasn&#8217;t been completely captured yet. Here it is:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="005 Evelyn Rae On China" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2--leJmbBx4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Everything Evelyn Rae just said also applies to many other countries. This is not a problem that&#8217;s limited to Australia. 
Here&#8217;s a <a href="https://reason.com/2024/10/17/british-man-convicted-of-criminal-charges-for-praying-silently-near-abortion-clinic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report from Reason</a> late last year, for example. This is the kind of story that JD Vance mentioned in his recent address to European leaders.
<blockquote>A British man was convicted of criminal charges for praying silently near an abortion clinic. The man, Adam Smith-Connor, did not attempt to harass, intimidate, or interact in any way with those entering the clinic. Instead, he wordlessly prayed with his head bowed slightly. He wasn&#8217;t even on clinic property—he was outside the sightline of the clinic itself. &#8230; As a result, Smith-Connor was questioned by police and later charged with violating a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), a broad censorship order enabled by the 2014 Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act. Under this law, local authorities can obtain special status for some public places, allowing them to ban a huge range of conduct. In the name of limiting &#8216;anti-social behavior.&#8217;</blockquote>
Yes, prayer is considered &#8220;anti-social behavior&#8221; in England. These kinds of arrests are happening because — from Britain to Colorado to Canada to Australia to China — authoritarians in government detest any challenge to their authority. These government officials know that they&#8217;re not impressive people. Australia&#8217;s prime minister has barely held a real job in his life. Most of the country is represented by people like this. They&#8217;re petrified that their subjects might worship someone other than themselves. As a result, they&#8217;re now throwing Christians in prison for practicing their faith. This trend has accelerated in China, and it&#8217;s now spreading throughout the West. Christians are being forcibly silenced, at scale. They are being vilified and incarcerated for what they believe.
I began by saying this isn&#8217;t a monologue about economics or trade wars. That&#8217;s true. But as we consider how we&#8217;ll work with these countries in the future — as we negotiate trade deals and so on — the assaults on Christians simply cannot be ignored. These attacks are as unlawful and immoral as they are systematic. They are becoming a fundamental part of the culture of both our allies and our adversaries. For the benefit of billions of Christians, and to preserve basic constitutional rights like the freedom of speech, this coordinated assault on religion must end before it progresses any further.

Top view of group of people on therapy, praying and counselling concept.

This Might Be The Most Orwellian Law I’ve Ever Heard Of

Australia

Bible

China

Christians

Conversion Therapy

Gender

LGBTQ

Opinion

Persecution

Prayer

Sexual Orientation

Transgender

Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Beshear banned &#8220;conversion therapy&#8221; for &#8220;LGBTQ+ youth&#8221; on Wednesday in a sweeping executive order.
“Kentucky cannot possibly reach its full potential unless it is free from discrimination by or against any citizen – unless all our people feel welcome in our spaces, free from unjust barriers and supported to be themselves,” Beshear said in a <a href="https://www.kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=GovernorBeshear&amp;prId=2288" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “Conversion therapy has no basis in medicine or science, and it can cause significant long-term harm to our kids, including increased rates of suicide and depression. This is about protecting our youth from an inhumane practice that hurts them.”
The order applies to therapy for minors under the age of 18, saying, &#8220;Discrimination against our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, including our LGBTQ+ youth, is unacceptable in this Commonwealth.&#8221;
The text of the <a href="https://governor.ky.gov/attachments/20240918_Executive-Order_2024-632_Relating-to-Protecting-Minors-from-Conversion-Therapy.pdf">order</a> makes clear that banned types of therapy include “any practice, treatment, or intervention that seeks or purports to change an individual&#8217;s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
Allowed under the law is any therapy that is either “neutral” regarding “sexual orientation or gender identity” or helps “facilitates an individual’s coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, so long as such practice, treatment, or intervention does not seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Critics say the order undermines the rights of parents and their freedom to pursue religious values within their homes.
“Governor Beshear’s executive order is an unlawful action that will hurt children, trample the fundamental rights of Kentucky parents, and suppress free religious expression,” David Walls, executive director of The Family Foundation, said in a <a href="https://www.kentuckyfamily.org/gov-beshear-signs-unlawful-executive-order-banning-conversion-therapy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.
“This order, like previous failed legislative efforts, is designed to promote false LGBTQ ideologies and muzzle Christian counselors, therapists, and pastors from helping children struggling with sexual orientation or gender identity confusion,” Walls continued. “Kentucky parents and their children should be free to seek the faith-based counseling on sexuality and identity issues that they need. The Christian message on sexuality and human dignity is not harmful, it is life-bringing.”

Andy Beshear

Kentucky Dem Gov Bans ‘Conversion Therapy’ For ‘LGBTQ+ Youth’

Kentucky Dem Gov Bans 'Conversion Therapy' For 'LGBTQ+ Youth'

Kentucky

Politics

Social Issues

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4071620-arizona-to-ban-conversion-therapy-permit-transgender-health-care/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> two executive orders Tuesday that would mandate health insurance to cover sex change surgeries for state employees and ban state funds from going toward “conversion therapy” for minors.
The Democrat <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2023/06/27/arizona-gov-hobbs-signs-executive-order-on-transgender-medical-access/70361448007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the executive orders at a news conference with One-n-ten, an organization that <a href="https://onenten.org/about-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claims</a> to “serve LGBTQ youth,” <a href="https://onenten.org/camp-outdoors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offers</a> overnight camps for “LGBTQ youth” aged 11-24, and <a href="https://onenten.org/conversion-therapy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warns</a> parents against “conversion therapy” promoted by “religious leaders.”
&#8220;Together these executive orders bring an end to unjust discrimination against LGBTQ+ Arizonans,&#8221; Hobbs said. &#8220;The state is leading by example on this issue, and we will continue working until Arizona is a place where every individual can participate equally in our economy and our workforce without fear of discrimination or exclusion. This is the only way to move our state forward.”
E.O. 2023-12, <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/sites/default/files/executive_order_2023-12.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concerning</a> sex change procedures, reversed policies implemented in 2017 by Hobbs’ Republican predecessor, Doug Ducey, which banned health insurance plans from covering the procedures for state employees. The new policy would require the plans to cover the procedures.
The executive order also ended a years-long legal challenge to Ducey’s prohibition, where trans-identifying woman and professor at the University of Arizona Russell Toomey sued the state, claiming it violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The executive order also cites the Supreme Court’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-supreme-court-rules-lgbt-individuals-protected-from-job-discrimination-under-title-vii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decision</a> in Bostock v. Clayton County, where Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Neil Gorsuch joined the Court’s liberals to hold that the Civil Rights Act forbids discrimination because someone identifies as transgender. 
The executive action also restricts the Arizona government from cooperating with civil or criminal cases in states that prohibit such procedures. This includes bans on sharing information in a criminal investigation and extraditing those charged for prescribing sex-denying treatment to minors.
In 2022, Arizona <a href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/equality/600425-arizona-governor-signs-bills-banning-gender-affirming-care/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">became</a> the second state to ban sex change surgeries for minors, but providing them with hormones and puberty blockers is still legal.
E.O. 2023-13 <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/sites/default/files/executive_order_2023-13.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prohibits</a> state funds to go toward “conversion therapy” for minors, which includes “any practice or treatment that seeks … to change an individual’s non-heteronormative sexual orientation or non-cisgender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expression.” The order goes on to insert a qualification that it “does not include gender-affirming care.”
The order, titled “Protecting Young People from Conversion Therapy,” states that “LGBTQ+ individuals, including young people, experience discrimination and bias, including in accessing healthcare services” and claims that trying to alter homosexual behavior or transgender identity in minors increases the risk of suicide.
Some therapists <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/vital-shield-or-illegal-muzzle-conversion-therapy-bans-challenge-free-speech-rights-of-therapists/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warn</a> that bans on so-called “conversion therapy” can stifle dissent on the gender identity debate and target religious therapists and parents, who seek to instill conservative values in their children.
A comprehensive ban on “conversion therapy” passed in 2022 in Canada could lock up violators for five years if they “repress non-heterosexual attraction or … behavior,” The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/canada-law-could-lock-up-religious-people-for-five-years-if-they-resist-childs-transition-gay-identity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.

Katie Hobbs Holds A Get Out The Vote Rally In Phoenix

Arizona Governor Signs Two Executive Orders Covering Sex Change Procedures, Banning Support For ‘Conversion Therapy’

Arizona Governor Signs Two Executive Orders Covering Sex Change Procedures, Banning Support For 'Conversion Therapy'

Arizona

Executive Orders

transgender surgery

A new Canadian law called C-4 outlaws so-called &#8220;conversion therapy,&#8221; which is defined in the law as any counseling or advising against transgender or nonbinary identity or non-heterosexual sexuality — even if the young person or adult requests it.
&#8220;The new Canadian law, C-4, bans any counseling that advocates for the Christian standard that sex is reserved for one man and one woman within marriage,&#8221; The Daily Wire&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pastors-call-out-conversion-therapy-laws">Morning Wire</a> reported this weekend. &#8220;It also potentially criminalizes any instruction confirming that human beings are created as wholly male or female from birth.&#8221;
Here&#8217;s how the text of the law <a href="https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/bill/C-4/royal-assent">defines</a> &#8220;conversion therapy&#8221;:
<blockquote>In sections 320.‍102 to 320.‍104, conversion therapy means a practice, treatment or service designed to
<div>
<div lang="en">(a) change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual;</div>
</div>
<div>
<div lang="en">(b) change a person’s gender identity to cisgender;</div>
</div>
<div>
<div lang="en">(c) change a person’s gender expression so that it conforms to the sex assigned to the person at birth;</div>
</div>
<div>
<div lang="en">(d) repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviour;</div>
</div>
<div>
<div lang="en">(e) repress a person’s non-cisgender gender identity; or</div>
</div>
<div>
<div lang="en">(f) repress or reduce a person’s gender expression that does not conform to the sex assigned to the person at birth.</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
Notably, influencing a person&#8217;s sexuality or gender identity is only considered &#8220;conversion therapy&#8221; when it falls inline with biblical teachings; influencing a minor or adult to be gay, nonbinary, or transgender, is acceptable.
&#8220;For greater certainty, this definition does not include a practice, treatment or service that relates to the exploration or development of an integrated personal identity — such as a practice, treatment or service that relates to a person’s gender transition — and that is not based on an assumption that a particular sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression is to be preferred over another,&#8221; the legislation emphasizes.
Those who disobey the law could face up to five years in prison.
&#8220;Everyone who knowingly causes another person to undergo conversion therapy — including by providing conversion therapy to that other person — is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than five years; or guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction,&#8221; the law states.
As highlighted by Morning Wire, prominent Canadian pastor James Coates said the law essentially “criminalize[s] evangelism.”
The Daily Wire&#8217;s Matt Walsh showcased the law via social media, sparking outrage from conservatives.
&#8220;Canada&#8217;s new law declares that you are guilty of &#8216;conversion therapy&#8217; and subject to five years in prison if you counsel your biological male child to accept his male identity,&#8221; he posted, captioning a portion of the legislation.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Canada&#39;s new law declares that you are guilty of &quot;conversion therapy&quot; and subject to five years in prison if you counsel your biological male child to accept his male identity <a href="https://t.co/lqapqWK3TZ">pic.twitter.com/lqapqWK3TZ</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1482892049108066304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Authoritarian, child-destroying lunacy,&#8221; Ben Shapiro commented.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Authoritarian, child-destroying lunacy. <a href="https://t.co/nHQ3Rtg9N1">https://t.co/nHQ3Rtg9N1</a>
&mdash; Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1482893087642996738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It’s legal under this law to convert children to LGBT. People always said that would happen. They were called crazy people using the slippery slope fallacy. Well here we are. At the bottom of that slope,&#8221; politico Mike Cernovich reacted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It’s legal under this law to convert children to LGBT. People always said that would happen. They were called crazy people using the slippery slope fallacy.
Well here we are. 
At the bottom of that slope 👇 <a href="https://t.co/k53F2mmZVg">https://t.co/k53F2mmZVg</a>
&mdash; Cernovich (@Cernovich) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/1482894471842840581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;So if your kid feels insecure or confused with their gender or sexuality, you can only get &#8216;therapy&#8217; if they convert to the identity that is anything BUT the biological norm,&#8221; posted advocate Landon Starbuck. &#8220;That’s not therapy, that’s conversion coercion.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
So if your kid feels insecure or confused with their gender or sexuality, you can only get &quot;therapy&quot; if they convert to the identity that is anything BUT the biological norm. That’s not therapy, that’s conversion coercion. <a href="https://t.co/sZABTJqfIC">https://t.co/sZABTJqfIC</a>
&mdash; Landon Starbuck (@LandonStarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/LandonStarbuck/status/1482910616931164166?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pastors-call-out-conversion-therapy-laws">Pastors Call Out ‘Conversion Therapy’ Laws</a>

Indias LGBT Community Celebrates 4th Queer Pride March

Canada: Law Could Lock Up Religious People For Five Years If They Resist Child’s ‘Transition,’ Gay Identity

Homosexuality

On Sunday, January 16, thousands of pastors across the United States preached about biblical sexual morality in response to a Canadian law that threatens to effectively criminalize evangelism under the guise of a “conversion therapy” ban.
Bill C-4 — passed unanimously by Canada’s Senate and House of Commons — could <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/revival-and-reformation-is-needed-canadian-pastors-sound-off-on-new-law-that-threatens-to-criminalize-evangelism">threaten</a> pastors with up to five years of prison time if they remain faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Calling biblical teaching on homosexuality and transgenderism a “myth,” the legislation is meant to chill the proclamation of the free grace of God for those in sexual sin.
In response to bill C-4, John MacArthur — longtime senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, California — <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-macarthur-calls-on-u-s-pastors-to-preach-on-biblical-sexuality-on-jan-16-in-response-to-new-canadian-law">led</a> at least 4,000 American ministers in <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/thousands-churches-raise-alarm-scope-new-canadian-conversion-therapy-ban">preaching</a> about biblical sexuality on Sunday alongside their Canadian counterparts. They told Western governments that they are rebelling against the natural order of creation — and the Creator Himself — by endorsing and promulgating LGBTQ ideology.
For instance, Tom Ascol — senior pastor at <a href="http://truegraceofgod.org/">Grace Baptist Church</a> in Cape Coral, Florida, and president of <a href="https://founders.org/">Founders Ministries</a> — preached a <a href="http://truegraceofgod.org/resources/sermons/what-god-loudly-shouts-about-sexual-sin/">sermon</a> centered upon <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%206%3A9-11&amp;version=ESV">1 Corinthians 6:9-11</a>, in which Paul notes that many believers in the church at Corinth had turned from homosexuality to follow Christ:
<blockquote>Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.</blockquote>
“God shouts about the grave danger of sexual immorality,” Ascol explained. “What Paul writes here is nothing more than what the rest of God’s Word teaches. Indeed, in Genesis to Revelation, God is the one who created humanity, and God is the one who made mankind by Himself, for Himself.”
Referring to <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201&amp;version=ESV">Genesis 1:27</a> — So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them — Ascol said: “There are only two sexes. There are male and female image-bearers of God. God is the one who made Adam, and He made Adam a man. God is the one who made Eve, and He made Eve a woman. And God is the one who made you, and He made you what you are, and what you are is either male or female.”
“Friend, if you have been deceived — if you have been duped — into thinking you can have Jesus and your sin, hear the words of Jesus. Turn from your sin, and fall before Him today,” Ascol said later in the sermon. “Acknowledge that you need Him to save you from your sin… God shouts about the danger of sexual immorality, and He does this out of love and compassion for people. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Rather, His desire is that they should turn from their sin and live.”
Josh Buice — pastor at <a href="https://praysmill.com/">Pray’s Mill Baptist Church</a> in Douglasville, Georgia, and president of <a href="https://g3min.org/">G3 Ministries</a> — also preached a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtUc0Che7zE">sermon</a> on <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%206%3A9-11&amp;version=ESV">1 Corinthians 6:9-11</a>.
“Not only is the heart of man sinful,” Buice explained, “but that sinful heart is then manifested in various different ways. What we need to remember is that we’re all born with a heart that is a seedbed of human depravity… Some of us in this room have struggled with sexual sin. Some in this room have struggled with drunkenness. Some in this room have struggled with pornography… While we are all depraved from our mother’s womb, we don’t always sin in the exact same way.”
Buice explained, however, that “our culture today is not trying to normalize drunkenness” and many of the other sins listed by Paul. “But the culture is doing the opposite when it comes to sexual sin… We live in a postmodern society that claims that what’s wrong for one generation may actually be right and acceptable to another generation.”
Like Ascol, Buice emphasized that Christ changes His people such that they will no longer be enslaved to their depravity. 
“Jesus sits upon His throne. He is a jealous God! He will not share His throne with anyone else!” proclaimed Buice, pointing to <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%205%3A17&amp;version=ESV">2 Corinthians 5:17</a> — Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Meanwhile, James White — a pastor at <a href="https://apologiachurch.com/">Apologia Church</a> in Chandler, Arizona, and apologist at <a href="https://www.aomin.org/aoblog/">Alpha &amp; Omega Ministries</a> — preached a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxhW-HJb1NA&amp;t=1s">sermon</a> that examined <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+18&amp;version=ESV">Leviticus 18</a>, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+20&amp;version=ESV">Leviticus 20</a>, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+18-19&amp;version=ESV">Genesis 18-19</a>, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans+1%3A26-27&amp;version=ESV">Romans 1:26-27</a>, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%206%3A9-11&amp;version=ESV">1 Corinthians 6:9-11</a>, and <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+timothy+1%3A10&amp;version=ESV">1 Timothy 1:10</a>.
In <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+18%3A1-5&amp;version=ESV">Leviticus 18:1-5</a>, for example, God warns Moses that the Israelites would be tempted to engage in the sins of the surrounding nations:
<blockquote>And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the LORD your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.”</blockquote>
“Let’s be honest — for most modern Americans, God saying ‘I am God’ is insufficient authority,” said White, pointing specifically to <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+18%3A22&amp;version=ESV">Leviticus 18:22</a>:
<blockquote>You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.</blockquote>
“‘Oh, it’s just what I do in my bedroom.’ No — entire nations are defiled by violating God’s law about the blessing that He has given to us in human sexuality,” White preached. “God has made man to rule over the creation, and when man perverts himself and defiles himself, punishment is inevitable.”
White also issued a stern warning to governments willing to pass laws in opposition to God’s created order. “A governmental bureaucrat that comes along and says ‘That’s what you have to believe’ is putting themselves directly against the authority of Christ… and they need to be told that.”
“If, at some point in the future,” White continued, “you, because of your boldness and your committedness to Christ, are brought before a magistrate… then your duty is to look that individual in the eye and say ‘Sir, with all due respect to your position, you do not have the authority to contradict the very Word of God that He has preserved for His people down through the ages.’”
“‘That Word tells me what is right and wrong. That Word tells me that God created us in His image — male and female. Jesus confirmed that… and if you dare stand against Him, you will stand before Him someday, and you will have no one to intercede for you.’”

John MacArthur

American Pastors Stand With Canadian Christians, Preach About Biblical Sexuality Amid ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban — Here’s What They Said

Christianity

Days ago, Canada approved a “conversion therapy” ban that condemns Christian doctrine on the sinfulness of homosexuality and transgenderism as “myth.” Indeed, bill C-4 — passed unanimously by both the Senate and the House of Commons — threatens pastors with up to five years of prison time if they remain faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ. 
As thousands of American ministers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-macarthur-calls-on-u-s-pastors-to-preach-on-biblical-sexuality-on-jan-16-in-response-to-new-canadian-law">stand</a> in solidarity with Canadian believers by preaching about biblical sexual ethics on Sunday, January 16, two Canadian pastors — Jacob Reaume of <a href="https://trinitybiblechapel.ca/">Trinity Bible Chapel</a> and Tim Stephens of <a href="http://www.fairviewbaptistchurch.ca/">Fairview Baptist Church</a> — told The Daily Wire about the implications of C-4 and how Canadian Christians plan to respond.
‘The Church must be a prophetic witness’
While describing C-4, Reaume — whose church incurred over $100,000 in fines last year for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-christian-convert-ex-drug-user-goes-viral-for-thanking-her-church-for-staying-open-through-covid-19-leading-to-her-salvation">refusing</a> to shut its doors in defiance of Canada&#8217;s COVID-19 lockdowns — noted that the edict will “make the preaching of the biblical gospel a criminal act.”
“The biblical gospel is a message of conversion, whereby Christ causes sinners to be born-again, thus converting them from sinful propensities to godliness,” he explained. “The bill&#8217;s language is vague enough that many think it might criminalize a biblical call to forsake sodomitic propensities to embrace righteousness.”
Stephens — who was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-jailed-canadian-pastor-tim-stephens-released-after-international-attention">jailed</a> in a maximum-security facility last summer for refusing to close his church — added that “the law is overly broad in defining conversion therapy,” thereby enshrining “progressive gender ideology and queer theory as normative.”
“All societies that live according to the biblical ethic” — in other words, creational norms — “have flourished,” he continued. “This is now called harmful. Ironically, this law promotes a truly harmful type of ‘conversion’ using puberty blocking chemicals, surgeries to remove functioning breasts and sexual organs, regular hormone treatments, and truly harmful counseling that has led to exorbitant suicide rates.”
Stephens said that the extent to which authorities will enforce the law remains in question. In any case: “Many churches in Canada avoid this subject already to avoid the ire of the culture. When preaching is outlawed, the faithful will be the outlaws who preach.”
As ministers of the gospel, neither Reaume nor Stephens plan to amend their preaching in response to C-4.
“I have a message from God, and He has called me to herald it,” Reaume said. “I am not my own, but He bought me with the blood of His Son. I am beholden to Him alone. By His grace, I will not stop speaking about God&#8217;s demands for holiness and His free offer of pardon. If anything, the legislation will motivate me to speak with more force and clarity against the evils of homosexuality and transgenderism.”
“We don&#8217;t pick our battles, but we do pick how we fight them. May the Master find me faithful.”
“I will preach the whole counsel of God in season and out of season. I will continue to speak on the issues that face our culture with clarity,” Stephens likewise affirmed. “These cultural flashpoints are where the battle rages hottest and it is precisely here that faithfulness is tested. The Church must be a prophetic witness rather than gag God and be ashamed of His truth.”
“Broadly, Christians in Canada remain concerned about losing freedom of religion but fearful of using those freedoms to protect their ‘witness.’ But witness is not reputation in the eyes of the world, it’s faithfulness before God,” Stephens added.
‘Revival and reformation is needed’
How should Christians in the West — especially in the United States — be warned from Canada’s passage of C-4? According to both Reaume and Stephens, LGBTQ doctrine will continue to gain new footholds apart from Christians taking back ground.
“The ideologies of queer theory, progressive gender ideology, and critical theory have taken over education, corporations, entertainment, and the media,” Stephens explained. “Politics is simply the face of the heart of a nation. The United States is lagging Canada, but the ideas are there and will bear fruit unless the roots are pulled up.”
“Christians must realize that we are in a spiritual battle where we are called to destroy strongholds, these opinions and philosophies that are raised against the knowledge of God,” Stephens continued, warning that the United States Constitution will sooner or later “prove ineffective to stop the advance of these godless ideologies.”
“Revival and reformation is needed. The Church must lead. Sadly, American evangelicalism looks a lot like Canada with only a few voices sounding the alarm and speaking truth to culture.”
Reaume noted that believers in the West can no longer ignore pervasive sexual sin in their cultures.
“Christian have erred in thinking that we can carry on in our churches and lives just fine while the state and the media have done all they can to normalize sodomy,” he said. “We can&#8217;t carry on. Sodomy is selfish and destructive toward all it touches. The more it is permitted to grow, the more it will grow, and it will accelerate until it destroys every aspect of life.”
“Scripture describes Sodom as a vine with poisonous grapes (Deuteronomy 32:32). Without being cut back, the vine will take and poison the entire garden, strangling all of life. That is what has happened in Canada,” he warned. “The vine of Sodom has now entered the Church and is attempting to suffocate the pulpit. Christians need to put on the full armor of God and attack at the root to remove the entire plant from the garden.”
“We cannot tolerate even the roots of this vine. That takes courage and the power of God, and it is costly. But the cost will have to be paid one way or another. It can be paid while you still can speak without legal reprisal, or your children will pay with criminal prosecution like they might in Canada, if the vine doesn&#8217;t strangle them first.”
Reaume added that God gives no quarter with respect to societal evil.
“We are here because previous generations just went along and put up with sodomy, as long as they could go to church and send their kids to free public schools. The vine grew and grew, and now we pay a deep price. No matter how much the world libels us as ‘bigoted’ or brands us ‘intolerant,’ we must attack evil. Evil stinks in the nostrils of God and invites terrible judgments from heaven. We must see this as God sees it. He is not passively tolerant of gay marriage. He is Lord of all, and He demands that all of life be subject to His Law.”
‘Lukewarmness is a ball and chain around our ankles’
When asked about their prayer for Canada as they and other Christians respond to C-4, Reaume and Stephens mentioned their desire for bold ministers — as well as compassion for the individual Canadians who will be hurt by the legislation.
“It is my prayer that people most harmed by this bill” — namely, the teenagers who are confused about gender and sexuality — “will hear the truth and be saved,” Stephens offered. “Be saved from harm in this life and be united with God in the next. It will be those suffering from gender dysphoria and sexual confusion that will suffer most.”
“Too many Canadian pastors think faithfulness means half-heartedly subscribing to an orthodox doctrinal statement without ever offending the cultural effetes,” Reaume said. “If they can just do that they figure they&#8217;ve arrived. That needs to stop. I desire to see Christ spew the lukewarm pastors and churches out of His mouth if they won&#8217;t be full of living water so that it overflows to nourish their listeners.”
“Their lukewarmness is a ball and chain around our ankles,” he mourned. “This soft generation needs hard prophets with a portion of Elijah&#8217;s spirit. We need to unsheathe the sword and discard the sheath, keeping our edges sharp, swing often and hard, but never miss a target, cutting deep wounds in the enemy with every bloody blow. May God use this hour to purify the Canadian Church so that the dross is removed from the silver.”
“May Canadians learn to respect the Church and fear Her Bridegroom.”
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Canada court and steeple

‘Revival and Reformation Is Needed’: Canadian Pastors Sound Off On New Law That Threatens To Criminalize Evangelism

Canadian pastors are warning that a new “conversion therapy” bill, just passed by parliament, will likely ban them from teaching that homosexuality and transgenderism are sins according to the Bible.
The bill in question, known as C-4, unanimously passed both the House of Commons and the Senate before receiving Royal Assent on December 8, meaning it will officially become Canadian law on Jan 8. On the surface, it’s meant to outlaw “conversion therapies”— that is, psychological treatments intended to re-train same-sex attracted people to prefer the opposite sex and individuals who believe they’re transgender to embrace their biological sex. When approached in a coercive or abusive manner, nearly all mainstream Christian denominations also condemn such therapy.
But critics say C-4’s language is so broad it also effectively bans preaching and teaching based on biblical sexual ethics. For instance, it could prevent counseling that references the many Old and New Testament passages that demonstrate God reserves sex for one man and one woman within the bond of marriage. It could also criminalize any instruction that confirms human beings are created as indelibly male or female from birth (the Bible has no category for transgender other than to condemn men dressing like women and vice versa in verses like <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/deuteronomy/22/5">Deuteronomy 22:5</a>).
Even further, the bill makes it a crime for parents to provide Christian therapy to their children suffering from gender dysphoria and prevents pastors and other religious leaders from offering biblical counseling or advice to same-sex attracted individuals who desire to obey God&#8217;s commands to repent from the sin of homosexual practices. Violations carry a penalty of up to five years in prison.
In response, John MacArthur, longtime senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, is asking for ministers across the U.S. to join him in preaching about God’s standard for sexuality on Jan 16. MacArthur’s <a href="https://www.gracechurch.org/news/posts/2307">statement</a>, issued Dec. 28, calls for a show of solidarity that will “put the Canadian and the U.S. governments on notice that they have attacked the Word of God.”
In his appeal, MacArthur quoted Canadian minister James Coates (who was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/it-was-precious-to-me-canadian-pastor-jailed-for-holding-church-services-recounts-touching-moment-he-was-freed">jailed</a> earlier this year for keeping his church open in violation of government Covid restrictions), saying the bill could be used to “criminalize evangelism.”
“I am eager to support our Canadian brothers and to preach on biblical sexual morality on January 16, and I invite you as a faithful pastor to do the same,” MacArthur wrote, later adding, “We are all well-aware of the evil power and destructive influence of the homosexual and transgender ideology. Our government is bent on not only normalizing this perversion, but also legalizing it, and furthermore criminalizing opposition to it.”
He then went on to point out that similar laws have made their way through state legislatures in the U.S.
In 2012, California enacted a law that prohibited conversion therapy, though it&#8217;s purview is much more limited than C-4&#8217;s. New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Massachusetts, Nevada, and a number of other states passed similar bills soon after. On a national level, the Democratic Party included banning “harmful conversion therapy practices” in its platform at its convention this past August.
At the same time, as The Daily Wire has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginias-new-transgender-rules-for-public-schools-use-preferred-pronouns-dont-question-bathroom-choices">previously</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/colorado-school-district-instructs-teachers-to-avoid-informing-parents-if-their-child-shows-persistent-gender-confusion">reported</a> in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-supreme-court-lets-trans-students-using-opposite-sex-bathrooms-ruling-stand">numerous</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-mom-reads-graphic-gay-porn-found-in-school-library-to-school-board">stories</a>, school districts across the U.S. have grown much more aggressive in teaching students that they may be gay or transgender and that identifying as such is good for children&#8217;s mental health. Countless videos posted on social media accounts like <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok?s=20">Libs of TikTok</a> have gone viral in recent months for showing LGBT educators and their &#8220;allies&#8221; insisting they have a right to indoctrinate children with the idea that characterizing homosexuality or transgenderism as sin is hateful. To date, there are no laws that prohibit teachers, counselors, or clergy from proselytizing for homosexuality and transgenderism. C-4 is no different.
As Anna Nienhuis of Canada’s Association for Reformed Political Action has <a href="https://arpacanada.ca/2021/12/14/c-4-blew-up-and-other-letters-to-the-editor/">pointed out</a>, while the bill bans any attempts to help someone turn away from unwanted homosexuality or transgenderism, it imposes no limits on attempts to “counsel a cisgender or heterosexual individual to become transgender or homosexual.”
In his open letter, MacArthur, whose daily Bible teaching program, “Grace to You,” is one of the most popular radio ministries in the world, quoted Andrew DeBartolo, teaching elder at Encounter Church in Ontario. DeBartolo stressed the importance of pushing back against government authoritarianism on this issue and thanked his American brothers for their willingness to stand alongside him:
<blockquote> In the Preamble of the Bill, it says that the belief that “heterosexuality, cisgender gender identity and gender expression that conforms to the sex assigned to a person at birth are to be preferred over other sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions” is a “myth.” According to Canadian law, as of January 8, 2022, the belief in God’s design for marriage and sexuality will now be seen as a myth&#8230;
On January 16, 2022, faithful men across this country (and many in the United States as well) will be preaching on God’s design for marriage and a biblical ethic of sexuality. We will be doing so illegally, declaring to the State that there is one God and one Lord over His church, and that Christ alone gets to both define marriage and dictate what is required in the pulpit. We are honored that our American brothers will be joining us in this.”</blockquote>
Hours after MacArthur posted the letter to social media, hundreds of pastors affirmed that they had signed it and will be joining him in preaching about biblical sexuality in defiance of C-4 and similar U.S. laws on Jan. 16.
Nate Pickowizc, senior pastor of Harvest Bible Church in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, <a href="https://twitter.com/NatePickowicz/status/1475970108568838145?s=20">said</a>, “I signed, and I’m committed to standing with our Canadian brothers and sisters in the Lord.”
Corey Smith, senior pastor at Heritage Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, <a href="https://twitter.com/coreysmith_116/status/1476000352315101190?s=20">tweeted</a>, “Let&#8217;s stand with our brothers in Canada in proclaiming the saving and sovereign grace of God in the Lord Jesus to radically transform the lives of those enslaved to the sins of homosexuality [and] transgenderism.”
“We need to stand with our Canadian pastors who will likely suffer for their unwillingness to compromise truth!” <a href="https://twitter.com/TomBuck/status/1475984827073638412?s=20">said</a> Tom Buck, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Lindale, Texas.
Finally, Brandon Byler, pastor of Calvary Byler Church in Cortland, Ohio, <a href="https://twitter.com/BylerBrandon/status/1476187481192206337?s=20">commented</a>, &#8220;Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Signed and thinking through how to pray for our faithful brothers and sisters in Canada, as well as how to continue to prepare my people for when it hits our shores.&#8221;
&nbsp;

Religious: Bible with Censored Label across front with American flag

John MacArthur Calls On Pastors To Preach Biblical Sexuality In Defiance Of New Canadian Law That Would ‘Criminalize Evangelism’

When the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit recently considered so-called “conversion therapy” bans stemming from Palm Beach County, Florida, the court had little hesitation finding that the bans <a href="https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201910604.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201910604.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607709119280000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFJMyng60wKyDS0N20uhKol-LCj4w">violated the First Amendment.</a> To anyone familiar with what these laws actually say, the court’s conclusion that they were unconstitutional came as no surprise.
Specifics on what constitutes “conversion therapy” are far from clear. “Electroconvulsive shock therapy” is repeatedly fronted as justification for these laws, but without evidence that such methods have been used for this purpose in many decades. And the laws are actually far broader in scope, extending to any efforts, including counseling, that might seek to help a patient change any aspect of sexual behavior or attractions.
The clear problem with this approach is that it inserts the government into the counseling room and seeks to regulate what can and cannot be said. In reality, these are not “conversion therapy” bans, but “counseling censorship laws” that intentionally restrict the right of both patients and counselors to engage in conversations they want to have, and to hear or express ideas they believe to be true. And in restricting speech, the government is actively taking a side on an issue that has multiple, strongly held perspectives and opinions.
While these counseling bans—promoted by activist groups—pass quickly through some legislative chambers as symbols of political correctness, they are running into trouble in courts since the Supreme Court reemphasized important principles of free speech in its famous <a href="https://www.adflegal.org/case/national-institute-family-and-life-advocates-v-becerra" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.adflegal.org/case/national-institute-family-and-life-advocates-v-becerra&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607709119280000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFclBOW7ZHq0SjjgOPha_YlAsCYZA">NIFLA v. Becerra</a> decision in 2018. Late last year, New York City was <a href="http://www.adfmedia.org/News/PRDetail/10787" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.adfmedia.org/News/PRDetail/10787&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607709119280000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHNShHCJGvrcJ0752u4kBhrYkEBPA">forced to repeal</a> a counseling censorship law when it was challenged by an Orthodox Jewish psychotherapist with the assistance of civil rights organization Alliance Defending Freedom. The 11th Circuit has now struck down a similar ban for the same central reason: The government has no right to censor conversations between therapists and their patients.
The facts of the 11th Circuit case are revealing. The plaintiffs are licensed marriage and family therapists who have practiced for many years. They make no promises that they can “change” a person’s sexual orientation, but they are willing to support patients, through ordinary conversational therapy, who wish to pursue change in this area so that they can live in accordance with the moral teachings of their faith. But these private and intensely personal client-therapist conversations fall foul of the expansive wording of the Palm Beach bans. This meant that the therapists faced criminal consequences if they continued to provide the support their clients want.
Observing that the therapists’ speech in this context fell squarely within the protections of the First Amendment, the court emphasized that the government rarely has power to restrict expression because it disapproves of its content. The court rejected the assertion that bans were justified on the basis that they safeguarded the physical and psychological well-being of minors. In reviewing extensive documentation submitted by the authorities and third-party intervenors to substantiate that claim, the court came to the stark conclusion that they offered only assertions, not evidence. It further observed that there was a “complete lack” of rigorous recent research on the issue, failing to reveal harm at all.
Acknowledging the position of several professional medical associations which opposed even speech-based therapy, the court said the views of those organizations are irrelevant to the free speech rights of patients and therapists. “Although we have no reason to doubt that these groups are composed of educated men and women acting in good faith,” the court said, “their institutional positions cannot define the boundaries of constitutional rights. They may hit the right mark—but they may also miss it.”
The court went on to remind those who might be upset — perhaps even outraged — by its judgment, that even-handed protection of freedom of speech protects us all. If the government can regulate the content of therapists’ speech in the way the bans proposed, the court noted that it could equally ban therapists from validating a person’s same-sex attractions. “That is exactly why the First Amendment does not allow communities to determine how their neighbors may be counseled about matters of sexual orientation or gender,” the court said.
For anyone who believes in the importance of ensuring that the government cannot step in to censor speech that it does not like, this is a ruling to be welcomed.
But while this new opinion is generating a lot of waves, the truth is that the Court of Appeals was not so much breaking new ground as taking up the baton from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in NIFLA. There, the Supreme Court expressed clear disapproval of prior circuit court judgments that restricted the free speech rights of professionals. As a result of this new and categorical decision from the 11th Circuit, we can expect to see more and more “conversion therapy bans” — censorship laws, really — falling as they are challenged in court.
Laurence Wilkinson is a human rights lawyer with <a href="http://www.adflegal.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.adflegal.org&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607709119280000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFnz5b4PGe8vt8YDxzWWQ2R7_BBFQ">Alliance Defending Freedom</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/AllianceDefends" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/AllianceDefends&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607709119280000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHPr15RGzvozwHI8AQSVz3v49F-tA">@AllianceDefends</a>).

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Does A Recent Court Decision Signal The End Of ‘Conversion Therapy’ Bans?

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