A New California bill could make it illegal to help anyone with unwanted same-sex desires or gender confusion. AB 2943 utilizes California’s existing consumer fraud statute to penalize “any practices that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation. This includes efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions, or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same sex.”
The bill declares, “advertising, offering to engage in, or engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with an individual” as illegal under the state’s consumer fraud law.
Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Matt Sharp said: “California AB 2943 makes it unlawful for any person to sell books, counseling services, or anything else that helps someone overcome unwanted same-sex attraction or gender identity confusion.”
As a result, it could be a violation if a pastor encourages a congregant to visit the church book store to purchase books that help people address sexual issues, perhaps including the Bible itself, which teaches about the importance of sexual purity within the confines of marriage between a man and woman.
Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi said, “The faith community, like anyone else, needs to evolve with the times. The science is clear. The claim that the First Amendment can be used as defense for promoting fraudulent conduct is a fallacious argument.”
