By John Mack Freeman
A jury in New Jersey has found that conversion therapy is fraud. After only three hours of deliberation, the jury returned $72,400 judgment against Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH) for deceptive marketing practices related to conversion therapy. Via Advocate.com:
The lawsuit was filed by the SPLC on behalf of three young men and two mothers subjected to the discredited therapy that tries to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. It was filed in 2012, before New Jersey became the second U.S. state to ban the unscientific practice when used by licensed therapists on minors. Republican Gov. Chris Christie signed the ban on ex-gay therapy into law in August 2013.
“This verdict is a monumental moment in the movement to ensure the rights and acceptance of LGBT people in America,” said a statement from David Dinielli, deputy legal director for the SPLC and lead attorney in the case. “Conversion therapy and homophobia are based on the same central lie — that gay people are broken and need to be fixed. Conversion therapists, including the defendants in this case, sell fake cures that don’t work and can seriously harm the unsuspecting people who fall into this trap.”
This is just the latest blow in the battle against conversion therapy for LGBT people. Several states have considered or enacted bans against the practice, and every major medical professional group has released statements opposing the so-called “therapy.”