Brazilian judge: It’s OK for therapists to help patients with unwanted gay attractions
A Brazilian judge has ruled psychologists are within their rights to help patients overcome unwanted same-sex attractions.
Judge Waldemar Claudio de Carvalho issued the ruling last week. He sided with Rozangela Justino, a Christian psychologist who lost her license in 2016 after working with at least one patient to overcome same-sex attractions.
“To tell adults they may not receive talk therapy for a personal issue that's bothering them is a monstrous strike against freedom,” Austin Ruse, president of the Center for Family and Human Rights, told LifeSiteNews. “The Brazilian judge did exactly the right thing.”
Brazilian celebrities are protesting the decision, and LGBT activists have promised to appeal.
There’s “no way to cure what is not a disease,” said Rogerio Giannini, president of Brazil’s The Federal Council of Psychology.
So-called “conversion therapy” had previously been banned in Brazil since 1999.
Those who support allowing therapists to help clients overcome unwanted sexual attractions frequently point out that therapy is about helping patients achieve their desired goals.
Pro-LGBT libertarians have argued in favor of allowing people to seek therapy for unwanted sexual attractions, framing it as a free speech issue for therapists.
Banning certain therapies is “actually censoring and forbidding types of discussion,” Scott Shackford wrote in Reason magazine in 2016.
Sixty percent of Brazilians have a positive view of homosexuality, according to the Pew Research Center.
