This week the Minnesota House Human Services Policy committee held a hearing for HF 16, a bill that, along with its Senate companion bill, SF 23, would ban counseling for minors and vulnerable adults who are seeking help for unwanted same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria, and place restrictions on free speech in Minnesota.
This so-called “conversion therapy” ban represents a government intrusion on the counselor-client relationship and is a case of blatant viewpoint discrimination. True North Legal General Counsel Renee Carlson said in her testimony, “This bill distorts the usual functioning of the counseling relationship—a private medium of expression—to suppress speech the government disfavors.” The bill’s far-reaching ban could even be applied to books and conferences that present the biblical view of sexuality and identity.
Proponents of this kind of ban often employ a bait and switch, insisting that the bill is necessary to prevent abusive practices and then pushing for a ban on voluntary talk therapy. The reality is that abusive practices in counseling are already illegal. As Minnesota Family Council’s Rebecca Delahunt pointed out in her testimony on the bill,
Shock “therapy” and other torturous methods of behavior have already been outlawed in the state, and licensing boards are ready to review any reports of such illegal behavior by a counselor in Minnesota. A bill outlawing such behavior would therefore be unnecessary. Instead, this bill bans speech.
She went on to point out the distortion of language used in this bill. While banning counseling that helps young people who face unwanted same-sex attraction or who are struggling with their gender identity, the bill would allow counselors to encourage young people to reject their biological sex. Delahunt said,
HF 16 states that “gender-affirming care” is not included in the definition of “conversion therapy”; however, gender-affirming care involves prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to change a minor. Care is not “affirmative” if it facilitates physical change. The real “conversion” practice that should be banned in Minnesota is prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones which could leave children sterilized.
The vast majority of children who struggle with gender dysphoria become comfortable with their bodies by the time they reach adulthood if they do not undergo social or medical “transition.” This bill ignores this and only allows for therapy that encourages children to “transition” despite the fact that doing so does not improve mental health outcomes and instead causes irreversible harm and has lifelong consequences. This is out of step with the values and beliefs of the majority of American adults. Recent studies have found that, although a shrinking number of people are willing to publicly speak out, most Americans question the transgender movement and are opposed to so-called “gender transitions” for minors.
The bill’s threat to free speech extends beyond its intrusion on the counselor-client relationship with a provision applying to any “service or product.” This could place limits on counselors working with adults who are struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction, prevent authors from selling books challenging gender ideology, and even churches from hosting ticketed conferences presenting the biblical view of sexuality and identity. This is blatant viewpoint discrimination and a clear violation of the First Amendment.
People should have the freedom to pursue counseling that helps them achieve their goals and live in a manner consistent with their faith. It is not the government’s job to intrude upon the counselor-client relationship by mandating what can and cannot be discussed, and it is certainly not the government’s place to silence voices they disagree with.
A growing number of Christians who stand up for biblical truth are facing hostility for their beliefs, whether through workplace policies, social pressure, or legislation like HF 16 that directly attacks free speech and religious freedom. Psalm 34:5 reminds us that all who look to the Lord are radiant and will never be put to shame. In the face of social pressure and government mandates, we must not forget that when we are following Christ, we can never ultimately be put to shame. Our hope is in God. We can trust in him to strengthen and uphold us, and because of that, we can be free from fear in the midst of hostility.
