TUPELO, Miss. — A Christian therapist’s appeal against the state of Washington’s ban on “gay conversion therapy” was recently declined by the U.S. Supreme Court. The decision to decline the hearing came along with dissenting opinions from Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. “A law that restricts speech based on its content or viewpoint is presumptively unconstitutional and may be upheld only if the state can prove that the law is narrowly tailored to serve compelling state interests,” argued Thomas. He further stated that the Washington state law was “viewpoint-based and content-based discrimination in its purest form.”

American Family Association (AFA, www.AFA.net) President Tim Wildmon says that Christians must become active in the political arena if they want to continue enjoying their constitutional protections.

“That the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear this case is not only disappointing, it’s tragic. We have already seen the First Amendment under assault for employees in corporations, parents at local school board meetings, for students on college and university campuses, and elsewhere. Now mental health professionals are being gagged when it comes to offering a different perspective on sexual brokenness. It is becoming increasingly clear that Christians must get involved in the political arena if they are to continue enjoying the constitutional protections we have all taken for granted. But in the meantime, Christians in deep blue states should also realize that staying in places like Washington will mean living in a Marxian nightmare, where those rights are already disappearing before our very eyes.”

For over 40 years, AFA has operated within the mission to inform, equip, and activate individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of American culture and give aid to the church here and abroad in its task of fulfilling the Great Commission.  Founded in 1977, AFA has long been on the front lines of America’s culture war. Today, AFA is one of the largest and most effective pro-family organizations in the country, with nearly a million online supporters and approximately 110,000 subscribers to The Stand (formerly known as the AFA Journal), the ministry’s monthly magazine.  Find AFA Action Alerts here. In addition, AFA owns and operates nearly 180 radio stations across the country under the American Family Radio banner. 

View the media page for AFA here. For more information on American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or Twitter @AmericanFamAssc.       

###

To interview an AFA spokesperson, contact [email protected], Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105.  