Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill outlawing gay-straight therapy for minors in California on September 30. Gay-straight therapy entails attempting to change the sexual orientation of an individual by meeting with a therapist who develops a treatment plan. California State Senator Ted Lieu, who sponsored the bill, said that this therapy amounts to “psychological child abuse.” Students offer opinions.

Tassia Huq, Vice President of Gay-Straight Alliance, Senior

“I think it’s great news. This form of ‘therapy’ hurt many people and enforced the idea that being homosexual was a bad thing, that someone needed to change. This bill will hopefully stop a lot of people from being forced into a therapy that can easily lead to self-hatred and depression.”

Connie Chong, Junior

“I have mixed feeling for this because I’m Christian so my beliefs are against homosexuality, but you can’t really cure it through therapy and I don’t think it will make much of a difference [in reducing homosexuality.] It definitely gives way to homosexuality being more open and more free and I don’t know, for me, I don’t think homsexuality is right, but I don’t think that someone should force someone to change their sexuality.”

Ben Weinswig, Sophomore

“I think it’s unnecessary to be outlawed, but I don’t think it’s too big of a deal. If someone is a homosexual, they can’t change that, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”