California, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia, have banned licensed therapists from practicing conversion therapy on gays, but, amazingly, many Americans still think this “therapy” works.  Earlier this year 17-year-old Leelah Alcorn, who wrote on a Tumblr post that her parents had forced her to go to conversion therapy, took her own life, provoking the White House to talk about the potentially devastating effects this practice has on the lives of transgender as well as gay, lesbian, and bisexual, and queer youth, and to calling for the end of it, but at state, not federal level. (from an article by Eyda Peralta, NPR, April 8, 2015)

Informed people know that homosexuality is not a choice that you can back out of with a few sessions with a councillor; you are born that way.  Nature has determined that approximately 10% of the human race are either homosexual or have difficulty deciding what gender they are.  This segment of the population has always been with us.  Homosexuals had to hide their nature for many centuries; it must have been excruciatingly difficult for them.  Now most people accept that that is how the world is – but some religious people have not caught up with the science of biology.  So much the worse for them. Clinging on to the social attitudes of pre-history does not constitute consistency; it illustrates bigotry and ignorance.  Epicureans accept people as they are.