According to Politico and other media sources reporting, on Friday, on the New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie story of the week, the governor apparently does not believe in gay conversion therapy after all. Earlier in the week, the governor gave the impression that he gave credence to the controversial method of allegedly trying to change a gay person’s sexual mindset. Previously, Christie refused to take a stance on the issue.
Now, however, according to a Christie spokesperson, Kevin Roberts, who spoke to The Star-Ledger, Gov. Christie does not believe in conversion therapy. Roberts went on to claim that there should basically be no way of not understanding that the governor believes that a person’s sexual orientation is determined at birth.
Obviously, every controversial issue of which Christie speaks or insinuates is being heavily scrutinized by the press and the public as the New Jersey governor is being considered a potential presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 2016. Of watch is the fact that Christie has not made a public decision, thus far, as to whether he will sign a bill that outlaws gay conversion therapy or not in his state.
When New Jersey’s state senators approved a bill that makes it illegal for counselors to conduct gay conversion therapy on a patient – a method of trying to make a gay person turn straight – Christie said:
I’m of two minds just on this stuff in general. Number one, I think there should be lots of deference given to parents on raising their children. I don’t think – this is a general philosophy, not to this bill – generally, philosophically, on bills that restrict parents’ ability to make decisions on how to care for their children. I’m generally a skeptic of those bills. Now there can always be exceptions to those rules, and this bill may be one of them.
This statement, given by Christie on Wednesday, drew severe criticism from some.
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