Gov. Christie Plays ‘Im a Moron’ Card with Gay Conversions

Gov. Chris Christie said Wednesday he's undecided on whether the state should ban the controversial use of "gay conversion therapy,"but the Republican governor still opposes same-sex marriage.
Christie said that he knows little about the method. California enacted a law prohibiting the practice, but a federal court has blocked its implementation.
"I'm of two minds just on this stuff in general," he said at a news conference at Stone Harbor Elementary School. "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."
As is his practice with most legislation, Christie said he had yet to look at the bill and won't until it gets to his desk.
 After a hearing in Trenton on Monday, the Senate’s health committee approved a bill that would ban licensed counselors from using “conversion therapy” on gays. Supporters called the practice damaging and demoralizing, while bill opponents accused state lawmakers of interfering with the counselor-patient relationship and intruding on parents' rights.
Asked about Ohio Sen. Rob Portman's decision this week to support same-sex marriage after his son revealed to him he is gay, Christie praised Portman, a Republican, in general, but didn't budge on his stance.
"But as far as how it affects my view, no," Christie said, "because that question implies that somehow this is a political judgment and for me it's not."
UPDATE: Democratic challenger Barbara Buono today said Christie should have outright denounced gay conversion therapy, instead of saying he needed to learn more before supporting a ban.
“Gay children don’t need to be cured,” she told reporters on a conference call. She called the practice “nothing short of child abuse" and “a cruel and damaging practice of trying to shame children into being someone they’re not."
Buono, a state senator from Middlesex County, said Christie’s decisions are dictated by how the national GOP will react.
“The governor said he doesn’t know much about gay conversion therapy. I don’t know how much more you need to know,” she said. “I couldn’t believe the stunning level of ignorance that that statement showed.”