The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday
refused to hear a lawsuit challenging a California law that bans
therapies that attempt to alter the sexuality or gender identity of
LGBT youth.
It is the second time the high court
has refused to hear a challenge to the law. Opponents of the law say
it violates the U.S. Constitution by limiting freedom of speech and
religion.
California in 2012 became the first
state to approve such a law.
Rick Zbur, executive director of
Equality California, cheered the news.
“Homosexuality is not a condition
that needs curing.” Zbur said in a statement. “However, we do
know that the practice of trying to change sexual orientation not
only doesn’t work, but puts vulnerable LGBT young people at risk of
depression, substance abuse, homelessness and suicide. It flies in
the face of a consensus of respected health organizations –
including the American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical
Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other groups –
that efforts to change a young person’s sexual orientation are
harmful.”
The decision not to hear the challenge
leaves in place a lower court's ruling upholding the ban.