U.S. Surgeon General: Being Gay/Trans Is Not A Disorder
"Being gay is not a disorder. Being transgender is not a malady that requires a cure. Had I been Leelah Alcorn's physician, I would have told her exactly that. And that's the message I want other doctors, nurses, health professionals, and public health leaders to help get out to parents and children who may be confronting these issues."
Quote:
Just two days after the Obama administration formally announced that it supports efforts to end the discredited practice known as "conversion therapy" — which tries to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity — the nation's top doctor weighed in on the practice.
"As America’s Doctor, my job is to help raise awareness about sound medical practices and the steps we can take together to improve America’s health," said U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy today during a town hall discussion on Tumblr. "Conversion therapy is not sound medical practice. Moreover, we all need to work together to build greater understanding and acceptance throughout our society. Doctors can and should be part of that effort."
Murthy's comments come less than 48 hours after the White House formally responded to a petition calling for a nationwide ban on such "therapy," which has been denounced as ineffective and harmful by every major medical and psychiatric organization in the country.
"We share your concern about [this practice's] potentially devastating effects on the lives of transgender as well as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer youth," wrote senior Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett in the White House's formal response to the petition, which sought to create "Leelah's Law," and garnered more than 120,000 signatures on the government's We the People petition site.
The petition was authored in the wake of transgender Ohio teenager Leelah Alcorn's suicide. In a note that went viral after she scheduled it to post to Tumblr after her death, the 17-year-old Alcorn detailed the harm she endured when subjected to conversion therapy by a Christian therapist she was taken to by her parents.
In addition to the surgeon general's comments, the White House published a video today featuring several members of the administration explaining why they support an end to the use of so-called reparative therapy on minors.
"Conversion therapy can be called many things," says Simpson in the video. "We used to call things like this 'brainwashing' or 'reprogramming.' It's all about making people conform to the way things are. But if society is going to grow, we need to move beyond the way things are to the way things should be. The way things ought to be."
I'm so proud of America, she has come a long way and before many other countries
Your country still beats us though on protection laws, we may have marriage equality done by June but no federal anti-discrimination law in any field; you have employment laws because of EU We have to wait for Congress to go back to being Democrat Probably ~2018 is the next chance to pass the laws if we are lucky
Your country still beats us though on protection laws, we may have marriage equality done by June but no federal anti-discrimination law in any field; you have employment laws because of EU We have to wait for Congress to go back to being Democrat Probably ~2018 is the next chance to pass the laws if we are lucky
Probably you are dreaming consider the about a massive losses the house would have to take in the Presidential and mid terms it's so unlikely you are fooling yourself. 2020-2022 is when the house might flip back.
:
Probably ~2018 is the next chance to pass the laws if we are lucky 
