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Friday, Mar 22, 2013 1:28 PM UTC

Chris Christie opposes “gay conversion therapy”

After taking heat for first saying he didn't know enough about the practice, the New Jersey governor clarified

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Topics: Chris Christie, Gay conversion therapy, Gay Rights, New Jersey, Republicans,

Chris Christie opposes (Credit: AP)

After getting slammed for a waffling answer on whether he supports the practice of “gay conversion therapy,” Gov. Chris Christie’s office clarified that he is opposed to it.

“Governor Christie does not believe in conversion therapy,” Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts wrote in a statement, the Star-Ledger reports. “There is no mistaking his point of view on this when you look at his own prior statements where he makes clear that people’s sexual orientation is determined at birth.”

“I’m of two minds just on this stuff in general,” Christie said earlier this week, regarding a bill that passed the state Senate that would ban the practice. “Number one, I think there should be lots of deference given to parents on raising their children. I don’t — this is a general philosophy, not to his 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.”

Christie clarified after his Democratic challenger Barbara Buono called it “disgusting,” and the DGA started fundraising off of his comments.

 

 

Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com. More Jillian Rayfield.

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