“The Raymonds wish to counsel children who are seeking help to align their sexual feelings, actions, and identity toward a biblical sexual ethic, in accordance with God’s design for human beings, including those struggling with homosexuality and so-called ‘gender identity,’” the lawsuit states.
Two religious counselors from Virgnia have filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s ban on “conversion therapy” for minors.
Virginia passed its ban on conversion therapy, the controversial practice of using a combination of standard and unconventional therapeutic techniques to turn non-heterosexual children straight, in 2020.
And, this past Thursday, attorneys from the Founding Freedoms Center—the legal arm of the Family Foundation, which is representing the two counselors in the complaint—filed their claim against the state, saying that Virginia has infringed upon their clients’ rights to free speech and religious freedom.
The complaint names defendants including the Virginia Board of Counseling and the Virginia Department of Health Professions.
Founding Freedoms Center lawyers say that their clients, plaintiffs John and Janet Raymond, have lost “significant business” as a direct result of the state’s ban on conversion therapy.
“The Raymonds wish to counsel children who are seeking help to align their sexual feelings, actions, and identity toward a biblical sexual ethic, in accordance with God’s design for human beings, including those struggling with homosexuality and so-called ‘gender identity,’” the lawsuit states.
The Virginia Mercury notes that the lawsuit was announced shortly after Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear passed a similar ban on conversion therapy through executive order. Beshear’s decision has already enraged conservatives across the state, who claim that it impairs parents’ legal right to make decisions about their child’s care and well-being.
Josh Hetzler, an attorney for the Founding Freedom Centers, said that he hopes the Virginia lawsuit will serve as a learning moment for Kentucky politicians.
“We think our case is going to help [and] hopefully when we win, Kentucky will see the writing on the wall and will do the right thing as well,” Hetzler said.
But Virginia Delegate Patrick Hope, who sponsored the state’s ban on conversion therapy when it was still in the House, said that moder medical standards broadly condemn the practice as unsafe.
“I have no doubts the courts will reject this hateful attempt to reinstate a practice harmful to Virginia’s children,” Hope said in a social media statement. “Abusing children is not protected under Virginia’s Constitution.”
Similarly, Virginia state Sen. Adam Ebbin—the first openly gay member of the commonwealth’s congress—said that the ban on conversion therapy was specifically written to meet the American Psychiatrist Association’s standards for care.
“Conversion therapy is a dangerous and out-of-date practice that only serves to ruin young lives,” Ebbin told Radio IQ.
Sources
Northern Virginia counselors challenge Virginia’s ban on conversion therapy
Religious counselors sue to overturn Virginia’s ban on conversion therapy for minors
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