Richard Socarides Talks About His Father Dr. Charles Socarides, Who Pioneered Harmful Gay 'Conversion Therapy': VIDEO

Richard Socarides, the gay CNN commentator and New Yorker columnist who was a former aide in the Clinton administration, talks with I'm From Driftwood about coming out to his father:

My father was, his name was Charles Socarides MD. He was the founder, or one of the founders, of the school of psychiatry that believed homosexuality was a mental illness and that it could be cured through psychotherapy. And he was a New York psychiatrist, quite well-known, had a thriving practice, wrote in 1967, maybe ‘68, one of the early psychoanalytic treatises of the issue of homosexuality, called “The Overt Homosexual,” which I do believe as I recall was dedicated to me and my sister....

...When people ask me about my dad is, right, what is the first thing they say, “Did he ever try to cure you?” And it’s an obvious question and the answer is no. It literally never came up. He never once said to me, “I have an idea, I have this theory, and we can get you some help for this!”

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

London Mayor Boris Johnson Wins Court Battle Over Barring Christian 'Ex-Gay' Group's Ads from Buses

A judge has ruled in favor of London Mayor Boris Johnson in a case brought by a Christian group challenging Johnson's decision to ban "gay cure" ads from city buses, the Guardian reports:

A judge found on Friday that Boris Johnson did not abuse his position as chairman of Transport for London (TfL) last April when he imposed the ban on the advert, which suggested that people could be cured of homosexuality.

The decision is a defeat for the Core Issues Trust, a Christian charity that funds "reparative therapy" for gay Christians, which it claims can "develop their heterosexual potential". They believe Johnson was "politically driven" when he intervened to block the ad.

The ad posters earmarked for the sides of the capital's buses read: "Not Gay! Ex-Gay, Post-Gay and Proud. Get over it!"

Johnson condemned the "gay cure" ad as "offensive to gays" and said it could lead to retaliation against the wider Christian community.

The judge agreed, though she said that Johnson's process "was procedurally unfair, in breach of its own procedures and demonstrated a failure to consider the relevant issues".

The judge also allowed an appeal, but said she thought it didn't have much of a chance.

NJ Governor's Office Clarifies: Chris Christie Does Not Believe in 'Gay Conversion Therapy'

Following outrage over his remarks on Wednesday that he was still on the fence about 'gay conversion therapy' with regard to a bill under consideration by the New Jersey legislature to ban it, Governor Chris Christie's office clarified his stance on the issue, the Asbury Park Press reports:

Late Thursday afternoon, Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts said the governor doesn’t support gay conversion therapy.

“Gov. Christie does not believe in conversion therapy,” Roberts said. “There is no mistaking his point of view on this when you look at his own prior statements where he makes clear that people’s sexual orientation is determined at birth.”

Christie's remarks on Wednesday that he was "undecided" on the issue had many scratching their heads:

[Democratic gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono], a Middlesex County state senator, told reporters that Christie’s remarks on the topic Wednesday in Stone Harbor were “disgusting” and intolerant because he didn’t oppose forcing gay teens into therapy, which critics say can be akin to child abuse.

“The governor said that he doesn’t know much about gay conversion therapy,” Buono said. “Well, I don’t know how much more you need to know to form an opinion. I was shocked at the stunning level of ignorance that that statement showed. The whole premise of having gay conversion therapy is based on the long-discredited belief that homosexuality is a form of a mental disorder that can be cured. That our governor would dignify that with the response that he gave is just shocking to me.”

As NJ Legislature Considers Ban on 'Gay Conversion Therapy', Chris Christie Says He's Undecided On It

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie does not have an opinion yet on a bill under consideration in the New Jersey legislature that would ban so-called 'gay conversion therapy', the Star-Ledger reports:

"I'm of two minds just on this stuff in general," he said at a news conference at Stone Harbor Elementary School. "Number one, I think there should be lots of deference given to parents on raising their children. I don't — this is a general philosophy, not to his bill — generally philosophically, on bills that restrict parents ability to make decisions on how to care for their children, I'm generally a skeptic of those bills. Now, there can always be exceptions to those rules and this bill may be one of them."

As is his practice with most legislation, Christie said he had yet to look at the bill and won't until it gets to his desk.

The New Jersey Senate Health Committee advanced the bill in a 7-1 vote this week following some powerful testimony, which included that of Jacob Rudolph, the Parsippany High School senior who came out to his entire class at an awards show in January. Watch it HERE.

NJ Teen Who Came Out at School Assembly Begs Lawmakers to Ban Harmful 'Ex-Gay' Therapy: VIDEO

As I reported yesterday, New Jersey is considering a bill that would ban so-called gay conversion therapy and held hearings before the Senate Health Committee.The bill, S2278, would ban licensed therapists from trying to turn gay kids straight. The committee advanced the bill in a 7-1 vote.

Among those testifying was Parsippany high school senior Jacob Rudolph, whose speech coming out to his entire class at an awards show assembly went viral on YouTube in January.

Said Rudoph to the panel in a powerful speech:

“What disturbs me the most is that our government would allow orientation-conversion organizations to subject children to such so-called therapy. It is hard enough for LGBT teens to accept that their sexual orientation differentiates them from their classmates. Consequentially, I cannot fathom how emotionally scarring it must be for these kids to be told they are somehow broken and are then manipulated to reject their innate sexual preference and ‘become’ heterosexual again. What strikes me as the most cruel facet of this practice is that these young people cannot defend themselves from being subjected to this harmful practice.”

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

NJ Senate Panel to Consider Bill Outlawing 'Ex-Gay' Therapy

The New Jersey Senate Health Committee this morning is considering legislation that would ban so-called gay conversion therapy, the Star-Ledger reports:

State Assemblyman Tim Eustace, an openly gay Democrat from Bergen County, is the lead sponsor the bill (A3371) — which would ban licensed practitioners from performing the therapy on minors, even with parental permission. New Jersey would join California as the only states doing so.

Among those testifying before the committee will be Troy Stevenson (right), executive director of Garden State Equality. He offered PolitickerNJ a preview of what his testimony would be about, and why the issue is personal for him:

"When I was 15 years old, I met a young man from the rival high school in my home town in Oklahoma," Stevenson said. "He was the first person I felt I could truly connect with, the first person I came out to, and the first person I ever kissed.

"But that first kiss was interrupted. The football team caught us behind the school after practice. We ran for what we felt was our lives, and what may very well have been in Oklahoma in the early 1990s.

"We made it to our homes safely, and my first call was to my friend to make sure he was OK.

"But he wasn't OK," Stevenson said. "He described the 'conversion' camp his parents sent him to when he told them he was gay. He described things that I couldn't imagine, indignities that I won't repeat. He said, 'I will never go back.'

"That was the last time we spoke. The next day I found out that he took his life. There is no doubt in my mind that the thought of returning to that torment was more than he could take. 

UPDATE: The Senate Health Committee advanced the measure 7-1.