New Jersey Teen Rallies State to Support Ban On Gay Conversions

A New Jersey teen became an Internet sensation when he spoke out in support of proposed legislation that would ban therapists from practicing so-called "gay conversation therapy" on LGBTQ minors in the state of New Jersey. Via his petition on Change.org, he has currently amassed the support of more than 113,000 people.

"I am here today to urge this body to act swiftly and pass the legislation it is considering to ban the discredited, damaging and dangerous anti-gay practice known as 'conversion,' 'reparative' or 'homosexual cure' therapy from being imposed on minors," said 18-year-old Jacob Rudolph in his testimony before Chairman Joseph F. Vitale and the New Jersey Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee in Trenton. "I want to share my story with you so that you might understand that, like every other LGBT person, I am not broken; I am not confused; I do not need to be 'fixed.'"

Rudolph supports the bill, S2278, which bans licensed therapists from practicing so-called "gay conversation therapy" on LGBTQ minors in New Jersey. Introduced in October 2012, the bill is sponsored by New Jersey Senate President Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, and Senators Stephen M. Sweeney, and Loretta Weinberg.

Parsippany High School senior Rudolph became an LGBTQ legend when he came out in front of 300 of his fellow high school students, and a YouTube sensation when video of that proclamation, filmed and posted by none other than Rudolph's own father, went viral in January with more than 1.2 million views.

Like transman Donnie Collins, who won overwhelming public and financial support for his gender reassignment surgery, and Zach Wahls, whose poise and advocacy made him one of the most recognized children of homosexual parents, Rudolph quickly found himself the face of gay and lesbian teens. He is using his newfound fame to advocate at the highest levels of government on behalf of an age group that is one of the most vulnerable sectors of the gay population.

Like so many of today's youth, Rudolph took to the Internet to spread his activism; his petition on Change.org in favor of S2278 has since collected more than 113,000 signatures, and joins several other petitions pouring into New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's office.

"I do very much want to be active in the LGBT community, if it means I might be able to help other LGBT youth," said Rudolph. Of his poster boy status for the cause, he said, "I believe that being visible requires great responsibility and I will continue to treat it with the utmost care and dedication. I'm tired of waiting for it to 'get better' when I have the ability to affect change in this world and make it better myself."

Similar to measures introduced in California and the United States' Congress, Bill S2278 reads, in part, "a psychiatrist, licensed practicing psychologist, certified social worker, licensed clinical social worker, licensed social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, certified psychoanalyst, or a person who performs counseling as part of the person's professional training for any of these professions, shall not engage in sexual orientation change efforts with a person under 18 years of age."

"I became aware of this 'therapy's' existence after I had read online about an individual who was essentially tortured in efforts to manipulate his sexual orientation," recalled Rudolph. "Soon after, I read online that Senator Sweeny was supporting a bill that would end this practice of conversion therapy, and I wanted to ensure that if it passed through the Assembly and the Senate, that Governor Chris Christie would sign it into law."

’Gay Conversion’ Repudiated, By Doctors, Former Ex-Gays

It is not just a select few enlightened lawmakers and mediagenic members of an incensed minority calling for the end of conversion therapy at state levels. The American Medical Association, Pan American Health Organization, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association of Social Workers and the World Health Organization uniformly renounce the practice, observing a lack of credible evidence conversion therapy works and concluding any effort to change sexual orientation can lead to depression, anxiety and suicide.

Moreover, retired psychiatrist and Columbia University professor Robert Spitzer, whose intensely condemned 2001 study claiming "highly motivated" gays and lesbians can be "cured" of their homosexual orientation via therapy, what formed the foundation of gay-conversion practices, now repudiates that same study.

The Southern Poverty Law Center lists 70 therapists operating in 20 states and the District of Columbia advertising conversion therapy. In a supreme irony, Christian and Jewish ex-gay ministries themselves do not, through their methods, claim to transform inner same-sex desire, only outward sexual behavior. And, more and more, many former advocates themselves now recant their own ex-gay work.

John Smid, leader of the Love in Action ex-gay ministry in Memphis, Tennessee and star of the ex-gay movement, resigned his position in 2008 and issued a full apology in 2010 for all harm his program created. Smid, who affirmed that he was then and is now still gay, said he never saw any man successfully switch from gay to straight through the work of LiA.

"When I was at LiA, I never taught a session on the scriptures regarding homosexuality that I understood...I merely quoted what I saw that others had written on the issue," said Smid, on his Gracerivers.com blog. "I felt an obligation to at least teach something on what the Bible said, but every time I attempted to study it for myself it made no sense to me and I just went back to the writings of others within the ex-gay subculture."

I Did It For Other LGBT Teens, Said Rudolph

Crediting his eloquence to his lawyer dad, Rudolph was met with a standing ovation from his peers when he came out. But, he said, the most meaningful responses were from five gay teens across the country who were positively affected by his message.

"Each had something in common: they had made preparations to commit suicide before watching the video of my speech," said Rudolph. "Some had been rejected by their families, who believed they had chosen to be gay and refused to accept them for who they are."

After opponents criticized Christie's indecision on the bill -- Christie (R) vetoed a gay marriage bill a year ago -- spokesman Kevin Roberts released a statement saying, "Governor Christie does not believe in conversion therapy. There is no mistaking his point of view on this when you look at his own prior statements where he makes clear that people's sexual orientation is determined at birth."

Rudolph is trying to balance a regular life of school and jazz practice with his advocacy, but remains adamant in his work.

"As an LGBT teen from New Jersey, I am relieved to hear that Governor Christie opposes the use of dangerous gay 'conversion' therapy, a practice that attempts to fix what's not broken," said Rudolph. "But the more than 112,000 people who have signed my petition want action, not just words. To protect all New Jersey kids, we need a statewide ban on this abusive practice."

Bill S2278 had its second reading on March 18, and remains on the 2012-2013 Regular Session.