California legislators are debating whether counselors should be allowed to try to change the sexual orientation of teens. A bill that would outlaw so-called conversion therapy for teens has passed through committee and is on its way to being discussed by the full statehouse body. Proponents say such therapy is unhealthy and potentially dangerous for gay teens. Bill sponsor, Sen. Ted Lieu (D) says trying to counsel teens out of being gay can “cause extreme depression and guilt” that sometimes leads to suicide. Conservative Christian groups disagree. “Any counselor worth his (or her) salt knows homosexual feelings commonly occur in boys as a result of abuses,” says David Pickup, a representative for the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality. “I should know because I was one of those boys.” (San Francisco Chronicle)