Liberty Counsel Seeks to Bully Virginia Universities Into Providing "Ex-Gay" Propaganda

As the Christofascists see themselves rapidly losing the battle against LGBT equality they are becoming ever more shrill in their efforts to maintain the totally repudiated myth - manufactured, of course by the Christofascists - that sexual orientation is a "choice" and that gays can "change."  As noted many times on this blog, for many years duping legislators and judges into believing this cynical myth was a key component of the Christofascist jihad against LGBT individuals.  Now, despite the fact that every legitimate medical and mental health association condemns reparative therapy, the lunatics at Liberty Counsel are trying to force Virginia's universities to disseminate "ex-gay" propaganda.  Candidly, any university that is stupid enough to do so will likely be inviting lawsuits against it in the event these "ex-gay" efforts lead to suicides and other serious mental health damage.  The religious fanatics cite "unsafe zones" but the only truly unsafe zones are within the confines of "ex-gay" ministries.  The Washington Times looks at this deranged effort by those who themselves ought to be in mental institutions.  Here are highlights on the batshitery:

Arguing that some Virginia universities’ sexual-minority centers are engaging in “viewpoint discrimination,” a conservative law firm is taking steps to ensure materials on ex-gay services are offered to students this fall.

Details of this effort are laid out in a lengthy report released Monday by Voice of the Voiceless, a group representing former homosexuals and people with unwanted same-sex attractions.

The report concludes, after visiting seven public Virginia universities, that campus centers are “unsafe zones” for students who aren’t sure they are gay or who want to escape homosexual thoughts and behaviors.

A spokesman for the University of Virginia declined to comment on the issue Friday, but provided The Washington Times with a relevant January letter from outgoing Deputy Attorney General Rita W. Beale to Liberty Counsel.

The letter said UVa’s sexual-minority center had been “repurposed” last year and is not a “limited public forum.” The university therefore “declines to display and/or distribute Voice of the Voiceless‘ materials.”

“Bullying and intolerance against the ex-gay community does exist,” said Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays, adding that her group’s efforts to provide information on campuses are often “met with resistance and intolerance.”

Mental health professionals warn that ex-gay therapies can cause serious problems, like depression, anxiety and self-destructive behaviors in people, Mr. Besen said. Universities would be “putting themselves in legal jeopardy” if they exposed students to materials that caused them to hurt themselves, he said.

The report’s proponents “are on the losing end of legal arguments,” said Hayley Gorenberg, deputy legal director for Lambda Legal, claiming that campus LGBT centers have not been created as public forums, so there’s no basis for a First Amendment challenge.

I hope the universities continue to rebuff these delusional efforts by Liberty Counsel and PFOX, a front group funded by a who's who of anti-gay hate groups and staffed by "ex-gays for pay."