Good News for Free Speech

Happy Puppy Images, Stock Photos & Vectors | Shutterstock

A federal appeals court in Florida, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, has ruled that banning “conversion therapy” to get rid of unwanted same-sex attraction is unconstitutional (https://www.wnd.com/2020/11/appeals-court-rules-ban-gender-counseling-unconstitutional/).

The ban, said the court, is “content-based regulations of speech that cannot survive strict scrutiny.” That is, the government cannot force individuals or organizations to express a message chosen by the government. They can’t force you to say things you don’t believe in. Because–duh!–it violates the First Amendment’s free speech protections.

Conversion therapy, noted the court, is “only words”–and words are protected.

California and New Jersey, just to name two states that I know of, have banned conversion therapy.

Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that government cannot lawfully force anyone to express a message chosen by the government.

Expect the LGBT crowd to howl and gnash their teeth.

P.S.–The picture of the happy puppy serves a purpose which I am probably wiser not to name.