Fearing Supreme Court, gay NYC councilman moves to repeal conversion therapy ban
City Council speaker Corey Johnson of New York City introduced a bill on Thursday to repeal a citywide ban on so-called gay conversion therapy, in place since 2017, out of fear of losing a Supreme Court challenge. The repeal came about after the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a nonprofit law firm that has defended people of faith in several landmark cases, filed a lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of the ban. According to the New York Daily News, LGBT advocates fear that the ADF could win the case at the Supreme Court, which has become more conservative under President Donald Trump. The paper said campaigners fear that an eventual decision by the court could have a negative impact on such laws elsewhere in the country. According to the ADF, it filed a federal lawsuit in January on behalf of Dr. Dovid Schwartz, a licensed psychotherapist and member of the Chabad Lubavitch Jewish community. The ADF challenged the city ordinance that prohibits any person to provide