A federal judge (Judge William B. Shubb) has blocked a ban in California that made it illegal for licensed mental health professionals to provide sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) to minors. Here is the link. The ruling apparently only covers the three plaintiffs and not other mental health professionals. According to the LA Times, the judge noted that the ban was “based on questionable and scientifically incomplete studies that may not have included minors.” Here is the decision itself.
That was yesterday. Today, a different judge (Judge Kimberly Mueller) handed down a decidedly different decision (not to postpone the law) on a separate case brought by different plaintiffs – that story is here.
As I mentioned in previous posts available here and here, there are several problems with the ban, including the scientific evidence on this kind of therapy on teens, as noted in the first ruling mentioned above. As important as that may be, there are issues with venue, precedent, and scope in the language of the ban itself. In any case, it is interesting that the scientific evidence was apparently not a point of focus in the other ruling, and I am sure many stakeholders will be keeping an eye on the developments in this area.
Mark Yarhouse 
I generally try to stay on topic but this comment is defiantly a “sorta” related. Mark, you know, I know you are a Gagnon supporter, but really Mark, can you re-evaluate?
The religiously based denigration of sexual minorities has real consequences, and that is what this is, pure unmitigated denigration. Gagnon and people like him have made a business for NARTH. Parents push their teenagers to Nicolosi and his cronies BECAUSE of Gagnon and people just like him. I don’t agree with this one size fits all bogus “therapy” of NARTH, and I know you practice differently, but Gagnon is eminently unhelpful to sexual minorities, especially underage children, he is especially vile. Imagine a boy age 14 who knows he is gay listening to Gagnon speaking this. What do you think this does to that child?
You can’t listen to him and turn your head and think differently, you just can’t, he is evil. Mark, please stand up for what you know to be true and stop giving cover to Gagnon and others like him, for when you do that Mark, you are complicit, you are.
http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2012/12/how-to-become-a-nom-expert-say-gays-engage-in-egregious-behavior-and-must-be-removed-from-christianity.html