According to The Associated Press, the Texas Republican Party is set to adopt a new platform this coming weekend that would support psychological treatments designed to turn gay people straight. This news came amid a string of legal victories across the US that overturn local bans of gay marriage. The news wire agency added that gay Republicans in the state had even succumbed to the local fight to block the planned endorsement of medical treatments that would surely be a controversy to the LGBT community.
AP said that such therapies are not new in the US, as similar therapies had been introduced, but were banned to be applied to minors last year by New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie. The state of California also has a similar law.
The new proposed platform would have the Texas GOP recognize the efficacy and the legitimacy of counseling, which offers therapy and other treatment for gay patients who seek to be healed from their homosexuality.
Several major health organizations, including the American Psychological Association has already expressed their concerns about such counseling, which AP said would generally try to change their sexual orientation or curb their interest in engaging in sexual activity with the same sex. According to the health experts, the practice might have a serious psychological harm if done to minors.
However, chairman Jeff Davis of gay conservative group Texas Log Cabin Republicans said that a fight to remove the therapy language during the GOP convention on Saturday in Texas could backfire. AP said that a final platform vote would include around ten thousand delegates at the convention, which is usually held every two years. The convention has been known to be unfriendly to gays.
According to Davis, he and his group, along with their allies, have yet to settle on a strategy, but they figured it was best to adopt a longer-term plan to be able to educate conservatives on the potential harm such treatments could do.
Davis said, "Fighting it on the floor may not be the best court of action. It might be in our best interest to wait until the convention is over and regroup."
