We have just completed a momentous decade. The iPad was unveiled by Apple Computer in 2010. The last Flight of the Space Shuttle occurred in 2011 as well as the Royal wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton (for the Anglophiles among us). Remember the Mayan calendar prediction that the world would end on December 21, 2012? That, apparently, didn’t happen. The Ice Bucket challenge was a real joy; as well as the “fidget spinner.” Oh Boy!

On a different note, in 2011, US Navy SEALS raided the compound of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan and called him to account for his role in the terror that has rocked the world since he founded the Al-Qaeda terrorist network. We also saw the rise of ISIS and a horror that stunned the world.

In our own country, a “sea-change” event was felt in 2015 along the lines of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision when the Obergefell case was decided and same-sex marriage was legalized by a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling.

This decision overturned millennia of human knowledge and ushered into the zeitgeist a host of new conversation topics for the dinner table. Since then, we have seen some people question the very biology of male and female and whether the pronouns we use are somehow discriminatory. As a matter of fact, Merriam-Webster decided that the pronoun “they” was the word of the year in 2019 as they felt that “him” and “her” were suddenly less than affirming.

Every day, we are writing future history. Future generations will study the events of our time and make judgements regarding how we acted…or not. Inaction is an action. To passively stand by without comment will be judged by those who live in the world we leave behind.

As we contemplate the next decade, we in Wyoming must look at the future with a sense of purpose. As we see the world outside changing, we must be aware that “our” world inevitably changes with it. Our homes, families and communities will reflect our influence. Will it be for good?

Here at Family Policy Alliance®, we envision a nation where God is honored, religious freedom flourishes, families thrive, and life is cherished. This is the focus of the next decade. Will you join us?

Sincerely,

Nathan Winters
Director of Advocacy

A Massachusetts legislative committee could vote any day on a bill that would push many minors towards transgenderism.  Your quick help is needed to stop it!

House Bill 110 is what is known as a “counseling ban.”  It would ban professional counseling for children and teens who are struggling with their gender identity.  But the ban would ONLY forbid counseling that is designed to help them identify with their birth sex.

In other words, counseling that encourages them to change their gender – even to go through irreversible sex-change operations – would be protected by the state.  But counseling to help them accept their God-given birth sex would be outlawed.

Incredibly, such laws have already passed in California and a few other states.  But it has also been stopped in many.  That’s why your help is so urgently needed!

The bill would also affect counseling for unwanted same-sex attraction.  This type of counseling has helped thousands of young people deal with unwanted same-sex attraction, which is correlated with childhood sexual abuse.  But if H 110 passes, these young people will only be allowed to get counseling that encourages homosexuality, even if that is not what the teen wants.

Here’s what you can do:

Thank you for taking action!

The Family Policy Alliance Team

(in alliance with Massachusetts Family Institute)

A Hawaii House committee is about to vote on a bill that would push many minors towards transgenderism.  Your quick help is needed to stop it!

Senate Bill 270 is what is known as a “therapy ban.”  It would ban professional counseling for children and teens who are struggling with their gender identity.  But the ban would ONLY forbid counseling that is designed to help them identify with their birth sex.

In other words, counseling that encourages them to change their gender – even to go through irreversible sex-change operations – would be protected by the state.  But counseling to help them accept their God-given birth sex would be outlawed.

Incredibly, such laws have already passed in California and a few other states.  But it has also been stopped in many.  That’s why your help is so urgently needed!

The bill would also affect counseling for unwanted same-sex attraction.  This type of counseling has helped thousands of young people deal with unwanted same-sex attraction, which often arises out of sexual abuse.  But if SB 270 passes, these young people will only be allowed to get counseling that encourages homosexuality.

Here’s what you can do:

Thank you for taking action!

The Family Policy Alliance Team

For years, LGBT activists have insisted that it is impossible to change so-called “sexual orientation.”  But now they are trying to make it illegal.

Faced with the testimonies of thousands of people who have made the journey out of homosexuality, the powerful LGBT lobby is now trying to demonize and outlaw counseling that facilitates such change—as well as counseling that helps children struggling with gender identity.

The first step is an effort to ban professional counseling for minors who have unwanted same-sex attraction or gender identity issues.  Already, 34 states have been targeted with such legislation, and additional states are expected to be targeted in 2018.

But while the gay lobby has managed to pick off several states that might be considered “low-hanging fruit” – mainly West Coast and northeastern states – the vast majority of the targeted states (25) have rejected this top LGBT priority.  Why?

Here are some key reasons state lawmakers have rejected these counseling bans, and why families—including families who do not have children struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction or gender identity issues—should join the fight to reject this top LGBT priority.

1. It attacks free speech.

Banning this type of counseling censors the speech of licensed counselors by prohibiting them from offering acceptance, support and understanding of a patient’s own goals for change.  Many state lawmakers recognize that the Constitution prohibits the government from censoring speech based upon viewpoint.  Yet, these bills only allow speech that supports the viewpoint that all same-sex attraction or gender identity is healthy and good.

2. It strikes at the heart of parental rights.

These bills strip parents of comprehensive tools and resources to help protect their child from the psychological harm that comes from living with unwanted same-sex attraction – or the emotional distress that is caused by their child feeling alienated from their physical bodies (gender dysphoria).  Parents know their children best and are in the best position to decide the right course of treatment and spiritual help for their children.

3. It abandons victims of sexual abuse.

One of the most common – and tragic – causes of same-sex attraction in children is sexual abuse.  Opponents of these counseling bans recognize that it is wrong to compel a child to embrace an identity that was forced upon them by their abuser.

Jayson’s story is an example of a child who struggled with same-sex attraction after suffering from abuse—yet he received help.

4. The scare stories are being exposed.

With help from a largely complicit media, the LGBT lobbyists have trumpeted tales of abusive practices such as shock therapy.  But even some ban supporters now admit that it has been decades since such “aversive” practices have been employed, and in most states any new attempt to use such practices would violate counseling standards.  In fact, the LGBT lobby has opposed efforts to ban such practices, as it would make their scare stories moot and take away from their real target, which is basic “talk therapy” counseling.

Still, despite growing resistance to the counseling bans, they remain a serious threat, thanks to the power of the LGBT lobby and their allies in the media.  And reports indicate that such bans may be pushed in a majority of states in 2018.

Family Policy Alliance and our network of 41 state groups is engaged on your behalf on this issue.  In fact, since the initial 2013 surprise attacks in California and New Jersey, only one state with a Family Policy Alliance-allied group has passed a counseling ban.

What you can do:  Be on the lookout for counseling ban legislation in your state, and if you receive such alerts from Family Policy Alliance or one of our state allies, be sure to take action and forward the alert to friends in your state. We need your help as parents and believers to stop this attack on parental rights.

Did you know that one of the big-ticket goals for LGBT activist groups is to ban basic talk therapy for minors struggling with gender identity issues or unwanted same-sex attraction in as many states as possible? Thankfully, the majority of states rejected these bans in 2017, but some, like New Mexico and Illinois, caved to the pressure.

Karen Bowling, Executive Director of Nebraska Family Alliance, one of Family Policy Alliance’s state-based allies, hosts an outstanding radio program. She recently welcomed Autumn Leva, Family Policy Alliance’s Director of Policy and Communication, to talk about the harmful consequences of these therapy bans for families & why your state should reject any efforts to pass therapy bans.

Check out Karen’s 2-minute radio segments to learn more!

by Stephanie Curry

Can you imagine a time when the state can come into your home and take away your child – because you loved your child enough to help him find counseling to work through unwanted same-sex attraction? Can you imagine a place where the state can put your daughter in foster care, because together you hired a therapist to help her heal from feeling like she was born in the wrong body? Currently, that time and place is right now in Canada, and rapidly approaching the United States.

This year, many states proposed and passed bills that would prohibit children from receiving counseling from licensed mental healthcare professionals for unwanted same-sex attraction or feeling like they were born the wrong sex. The Left deceptively refers to it as “conversion therapy”. Under such therapy ban laws, mental healthcare professionals can only provide counseling that is supportive or encouraging of a child’s same-sex attraction or gender confusion.

A few months back, Family Policy Alliance shared the story of Carlton. In his childhood, Carlton was abused by a male church leader, and for many years he wasn’t able to discern that his feelings of same-sex attraction had been forced upon him by his abuser. Therapy ban laws prevent parents from allowing their child to seek out a professional to discover why their child is experiencing gender and sexual identity struggles beyond the one size-fits-all, “born this way” approach. Even worse, some Massachusetts legislators are arguing that counselors who provide access to faith-affirming therapy for children to work through feelings of same-sex attraction and gender identity struggles should be reported and treated as child abusers. We believe children should have the unequivocal right to find licensed mental healthcare that is in line with their moral and religious beliefs.

Family Policy Alliance needs your continued support in striving to protect a time and place where parents are able to freely act to shield their child from emotional and psychological harm. The state should not be stepping into the place of parents when it comes to our children’s mental health.

This is part 4 of 5 in our Let Parents Parent series on the importance of protecting parental rights for families.

Part 1 My Child. My Rights.

Part 2 My Child. My Care.

Part 3 My Child. My Decision.

Part 4 My Child. Our Path.

Part 5 Education Choice for Families and a Wide-Open Future for Their Kids

Jayson started struggling with same-sex attractions after being abused as a child. Thankfully, he was able to get professional counseling and coaching that continues to help him align his life with the heartfelt convictions of his faith.

But now, the ACLU and their allies are working to ban such professional counseling for minors. They want to make counseling on sexual orientation a one-way street — toward homosexuality.

Family Policy Alliance is fighting these bans and supporting our freedoms in state after state.

“This fight is for vulnerable kids — just like I was at eight years old,” says Jayson. “Family Policy Alliance is uniquely positioned to win, with 40 state groups and proven strategies to mobilize citizens effectively. I encourage everyone who cares about protecting children and parents’ rights to support the work of Family Policy Alliance.”

Support Family Policy Alliance.