February 28, 2014

The following Voice of the Voiceless statement “Gay Activists lose two states in a row as Washington Senate says ‘No’ to SB 2451” is reprinted in its entirety: Voice of the Voiceless (VoV) just got news that Washington State Senate Bill 2451, which would have banned Sexual Orientation Change Effort (SOCE) therapy for minors, was killed in committee today, making Washington the second state, after Virginia, to say “No” to gay activists who are seeking to take away the rights of clients to pursue therapy for unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA). This victory was achieved, in part, due to some great testimony from VoV Board Members Robin Goodspeed and David Pickup. VoV also commends the hard work of the Family Policy Institute of Washington, who worked tirelessly to educate members of the Senate on the destructive nature that this bill would have on children.

This afternoon, VoV President Christopher Doyle made the following statement:

“We applaud the Washington State Senate for saying NO to HB 2451 and YES to clients’ rights! Families and adolescents should have the right to seek the therapy that aligns with their values without the interference of political activism and government intrusion. This marks the second loss in a row for gay activists, who also failed to convince the Virginia Legislature last month with their tall tales of “therapy torture.” We now know that when ex-gays and clients who have overcome unwanted SSA stand up and tell the truth about SOCE therapy, politicians will listen.”