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Governor Walz Tries to Ban "Conversion Therapy" By Executive Order

Christian Counselors and Minnesotans Oppose Governor Walz Overriding Legislature on So-Called “Conversion Therapy”

ST. PAUL – Governor Walz announced his intention to override the Minnesota legislature’s lawmaking authority by issuing a ban on so-called “conversion therapy” via executive order yesterday. This is a clear example of executive overreach that will infringe dangerously on the freedom of young people in Minnesota to seek the care that is appropriate for them.

This ban is a direct attack on individual choice in health care as well as on the constitutional rights of patients, families, and therapists. The governor’s ban could prevent patients from setting their own goals when addressing sexual orientation and gender identity, something they should be free to do.

“This executive order will not end so-called ‘conversion therapy,’ since professional standards in mental health care already did that years ago. Instead, this will ban young people experiencing unwanted same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria from getting the voluntary, compassionate care they need,” said John Helmberger, CEO of Minnesota Family Council. “In legislative hearings we’ve heard the courageous testimony of many men and women who have had great, life-changing experiences with this type of counseling. At the end of the day, the Governor’s actions will hurt patients seeking to get the care they want.”

Nate Oyloe, a pastoral counselor, says young people would be directly affected by this order. “I was horrified to hear that the Governor plans to override the legislature and issue a so-called ‘conversion therapy’ ban. As a young person dealing with same-sex attractions, I enjoyed the benefit of good psychotherapists and faith-based organizations who helped me bring my sexuality into harmony with my faith as a Christian. I was not coerced or harmed—I was helped greatly. It was life-changing.”

Activist Group Vandalizes Christ of the Ozarks Statue with "God Bless Abortions" Banner

A group of activists in Arkansas vandalized the 65-foot-tall Christ of the Ozarks statue with a “God Bless Abortions” banner last week. Members of the activist art group INDECLINE disguised themselves as construction workers and used pulleys to scale the statue and hang the 40-foot banner. “In Arkansas, there is only one 65-foot statue of Jesus. There is also only one abortion clinic,” the group wrote on Instagram in a post celebrating their act of vandalism. Two days later they posted a picture of a baby wearing a “God Bless Abortions” t-shirt announcing that the shirts were available at their online store.

INDECLINE said in a statement that, "The project, entitled ‘God Bless Abortions,’ is in direct response to the dramatic attempts being made in Arkansas and throughout the South, to ban abortion services to women in need.” Women don’t need abortion and they certainly don’t need the abortion industry’s lies. INDECLINE’s message completely ignores the women whose lives have been upended by the horror of abortion and the babies whose lives have been lost.

The director of operations at The Great Passion Play, the organization that maintains the Christ of the Ozarks statue, expressed hope that the activist group’s actions will ultimately turn people toward the gospel. “It was all about getting attention to expand their platform,” he said, “But our pivot really is that it’s about Jesus. This whole place exists to lift up Jesus. And at times what was intended for evil, in Genesis 50, it says ‘what was intended for evil God used for good.’”

State Attorneys General Call Out Biden Administration's Policies for Threatening First Amendment, Privacy Rights

21 state attorneys general are calling out the Biden administration’s pro-LGBT policies for threatening religious freedom, freedom of speech, and privacy rights. In a letter sent to the administration last week, the attorneys general address the recent guidance issued by the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission and the Department of Education expanding the definition of “sex” to include gender identity and sexual orientation in compliance with a January executive order from President Biden. The letter points out that States and individuals were not given any opportunity to submit feedback through the public comment process as the EEOC and Education Department finalized policies in response to a presidential executive order earlier this year. Instead, the guidance was issued unilaterally by the respective agencies.

Last year in Bostock v. Clayton County the Supreme Court redefined “sex” in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to include gender identity and sexual orientation. Immediately after taking office, President Biden issued an executive order requiring all federal agencies to adopt the Court’s sweeping redefinition of the word “sex and to implement policies that include sexual orientation and gender identity in their definition of sex-based discrimination.

When the Court decided on Bostock, it specifically stated that the ruling did not apply to “bathrooms, locker rooms, or anything else of that kind.” And yet, the policies emerging as a result of President Biden’s executive order are using the Court’s absurd redefinition of “sex” to require employers to allow biological males in women’s restrooms, schools to allow male athletes on female sports teams, and even to compel speech by requiring the use of “preferred pronouns” that do not match an individual’s biological sex.