Trial Begins in Orthodox ‘Gay Conversion’ Therapy Case
The fraud trial for an Orthodox Jewish group that promotes so-called conversion therapy for homosexuals opened in New Jersey.
In opening statements Wednesday in state Superior Court in Jersey City, an attorney for four former patients accused Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, or JONAH, of offering “junk science” and lies, The Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, an attorney for JONAH, which is based in Jersey City, said the group’s practices are widely used, with some patients reporting satisfaction with the results.
In 2012, the four plaintiffs, three from Orthodox families in Brooklyn, filed the lawsuit, claiming that JONAH breached state consumer fraud laws and that their treatment had included such practices as stripping naked during therapy sessions and listening to anti-gay slurs.
Gay rights groups are trying to outlaw conversion therapy in more than 12 states, according to AP. The therapy claims to help homosexual men become heterosexual.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
