To: Senator Mike Fair
Senator Fair: Resign Over Anti-Gay Comments
It was extremely inappropriate for you to call a gay advocate “sick” and “shameful” from your government email account. You are failing to protect our young people and the State of South Carolina. I urge you to immediately resign from your position after your inappropriate anti-gay comments.
Why is this important?
After writing an email to South Carolina Senator Mike Fair asking him to consider a ban on "pray away the gay" therapy, the Senator sent me an email back saying “Your warped advocacies are shameful” and that he is tired of the “sick behavior involving same sex” people.
It was extremely inappropriate for the Senator to call a gay advocate “sick” and “shameful” from his government email account. Is this even proper protocol when responding to a concerned citizen? If he disagreed with my email, he should have been civil and respectfully said “I disagree” or “thanks” or simply not responded. Where his comments were absurd and disrespectful, his email certainly empowers me to keep up the important fight.
Senator Fair is failing to protect our young people and the State of South Carolina. Please join me in urging him to immediately resign. A copy of the correspondence can be found below:
Coverage by Advocate Magazine: http://www.advocate.com/politics/2016/4/15/sc-senator-lgbt-advocate-youre-warped-sick-shameful
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Begin forwarded message:
From: Mike Fair
Subject: Re: Ban Conversion Therapy
Date: April 10, 2016 at 10:34:23 AM EDT
To: Caleb Laieski
Please do not ignore the science in promoting your agenda.
Pediatric neurologists recognize and stand by the claim, empirically proven, that the brain's elasticity doesn't disappear following puberty and kids continue to change remarkably right through the end of adolescence which could be the mid twenties.
Your encouragement of life altering surgery as a young teen but fighting against counseling from those who are no longer in the ethereal and sick behavior involving same sex sexual profligacy is beyond irresponsibility. Your warped advocacies are shameful.
MF
On Apr 9, 2016, at 2:38 AM, Caleb Laieski wrote:
As an elected leader, I urge you to ensure legislation is introduced and passed to ban damaging conversion therapy.
Conversion therapy refers to the practice to change and help "cure" someone's sexual orientation. Sadly, this practice is used on minors, who have no legal authority to make their own medical decisions. These practices lead to depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, suicidal behavior, and frequently result in suicide. That is why physiological, medical, and counseling associations are against this practice.
The associations also agree that this practice is ineffective, as well as extremely harmful, and damaging to individuals that go through these programs. A few of these organizations include: The American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, American Counseling Association, National Association of Social Workers, and the World Health Organization.
Without question, there is very clear evidence that conversion therapy does not work and only traumatizes patients more. Several states have passed laws banning licensed therapists from subjecting minors to such treatment, and I urge you to join the movement. Please introduce and pass legislation that prohibits state-licensed mental healthcare providers from advertising or providing “conversion therapy” or "pray away the gay" therapy to anyone under the age of eighteen.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration,
Caleb Laieski
National Advocate for the LGBT Community, Public Safety, and the Environment
It was extremely inappropriate for the Senator to call a gay advocate “sick” and “shameful” from his government email account. Is this even proper protocol when responding to a concerned citizen? If he disagreed with my email, he should have been civil and respectfully said “I disagree” or “thanks” or simply not responded. Where his comments were absurd and disrespectful, his email certainly empowers me to keep up the important fight.
Senator Fair is failing to protect our young people and the State of South Carolina. Please join me in urging him to immediately resign. A copy of the correspondence can be found below:
Coverage by Advocate Magazine: http://www.advocate.com/politics/2016/4/15/sc-senator-lgbt-advocate-youre-warped-sick-shameful
---------------------------------------------------
Begin forwarded message:
From: Mike Fair
Subject: Re: Ban Conversion Therapy
Date: April 10, 2016 at 10:34:23 AM EDT
To: Caleb Laieski
Please do not ignore the science in promoting your agenda.
Pediatric neurologists recognize and stand by the claim, empirically proven, that the brain's elasticity doesn't disappear following puberty and kids continue to change remarkably right through the end of adolescence which could be the mid twenties.
Your encouragement of life altering surgery as a young teen but fighting against counseling from those who are no longer in the ethereal and sick behavior involving same sex sexual profligacy is beyond irresponsibility. Your warped advocacies are shameful.
MF
On Apr 9, 2016, at 2:38 AM, Caleb Laieski wrote:
As an elected leader, I urge you to ensure legislation is introduced and passed to ban damaging conversion therapy.
Conversion therapy refers to the practice to change and help "cure" someone's sexual orientation. Sadly, this practice is used on minors, who have no legal authority to make their own medical decisions. These practices lead to depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, suicidal behavior, and frequently result in suicide. That is why physiological, medical, and counseling associations are against this practice.
The associations also agree that this practice is ineffective, as well as extremely harmful, and damaging to individuals that go through these programs. A few of these organizations include: The American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, American Counseling Association, National Association of Social Workers, and the World Health Organization.
Without question, there is very clear evidence that conversion therapy does not work and only traumatizes patients more. Several states have passed laws banning licensed therapists from subjecting minors to such treatment, and I urge you to join the movement. Please introduce and pass legislation that prohibits state-licensed mental healthcare providers from advertising or providing “conversion therapy” or "pray away the gay" therapy to anyone under the age of eighteen.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration,
Caleb Laieski
National Advocate for the LGBT Community, Public Safety, and the Environment