A debate unfolding in California’s legislature is drawing emotional testimony from a young man who says his personal experience highlights the risks of limiting how therapists can approach gender-related distress.
According to Fox News, Jonni Skinner appeared before the state Senate Judiciary Committee to oppose SB 934, a bill introduced by Scott Wiener.
The proposal would allow individuals to file malpractice lawsuits against therapists accused of engaging in what the bill defines as “conversion therapy,” even years after the counseling took place.
Supporters say the measure is designed to protect vulnerable individuals from harmful practices. Critics argue that its language is too broad and could discourage therapists from exploring complex issues with patients.
Skinner, who is affiliated with Genspect, told lawmakers his own path began with feelings of isolation during childhood that intensified during adolescence.
He said he was eventually referred to specialists who supported medical transition as a solution.
“The medical and mental health providers didn’t bother to ask why I felt the way I did,” Skinner said. “They poisoned my body with blockers and hormones, arresting my puberty and messing with my development. The result is I’m a 23-year-old gay man who’s never had an orgasm and may never experience one. Let that sink in.”
He described a series of health complications he says followed, including fainting episodes and ongoing physical issues.
Skinner said his perspective shifted in 2023 after a new doctor suggested he discontinue treatment, prompting him to revisit earlier decisions. He also pointed to concerns he developed after reviewing information tied to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.
“And I had found that there was, you know, no — low quality to no evidence to doing this to me,” he said.
He now argues that therapy should allow for deeper exploration of a young person’s experiences before any conclusions are reached.
“In all those years, if one therapist would have just talked with me about the origins of my distress, instead of just affirming me and suggesting, you know, further medical intervention is the only solution to me, perhaps I could have been spared much of what I’m suffering with today,” he said.
Skinner warned that SB 934 could have unintended consequences.
“And this bill, SB 934, would criminalize therapists for questioning that,” he said.
He also suggested lawmakers may not be fully considering long-term outcomes.
“They feel like they’re doing it out of compassion because that’s what they’re being told … but no one is thinking along the lines of, well, what is making these kids distressed in their bodies?” he added.
Wiener rejected that interpretation and defended the bill’s purpose.
“Conversion therapy is psychological torture and quack science that does nothing but harm vulnerable young people,” he said. “SB 934 cracks down on that horrifying practice, but makes clear that therapists will not be penalized for good faith explorations of a patient’s gender identity or sexuality.”
The proposal is moving through the legislative process and is set for another hearing in the state Senate.
The issue comes in the wake of Chiles v. Salazar, a recent Supreme Court decision involving a similar law in Colorado, adding further attention to how states regulate therapy practices.
