Dear Honourable Senators and Members of Parliament,
I am opposed to government efforts
to criminalize all forms of so-called “conversion therapy” in Bill
S-202. This Bill includes an outrageous ban on change therapy,
counselling, advice, and prayer for those who no longer wish to identity
as LGBT.
It is wrong to deny same-sex attracted
and gender-confused people the option of pursuing change in their
orientation, identity, or behaviours, if they so choose. If a person is
experiencing unwanted same-sex attractions or gender dysphoria, he/she
should have the freedom to seek medical, psychological, or spiritual
counsel and/or treatment in order to obtain personal healing and
wellness.
Studies prove that change is not only
possible, but also very natural among people who identify as LGBT. “Of
the 7.5% of men and 8.7% of women who chose a nonheterosexual descriptor
at ages 18 to 21, 43% of the men and 46% of the women chose a different
category by age 23. Among the same-sex-attracted youth who changed, 57%
of the men’s changes and 62% of the women’s changes involved switching
to completely heterosexual.” (Diamond and Rosky, “Scrutinizing
Immutability: Research on Sexual Orientation and U.S. Legal Advocacy for
Sexual Minorities,” The Journal of Sex Research 53).
People who identify as LGBT have the
right to change, if they are so inclined. They should not be denied
access to those who are willing, qualified, and trained to help them.
A ban on so-called “conversion
therapy” represents a dangerous and unprecedented political intrusion
into matters related to science, medicine, health, spirituality, and
personal autonomy. The government has no business telling people who
want to experience change that they are not allowed to do so. The
government has no business telling qualified doctors and psychologists
that they cannot help their patients. The government has no business
telling churches and spiritual counsellors that they cannot help their
adherents.
According to Kristopher Wells, a
professor at MacEwan University, who has advised the government on
banning so-called “conversion therapy”, “The ultimate goal is to ensure
that conversion therapy is put into the Criminal Code of Canada, so no
matter where you practise it, and if you are practising it, whether
that’s in a basement or in a church, you’re going to go to jail because
of this.”
I do not believe anyone should go to
jail for helping someone overcome unwanted same-sex attractions or
gender dysphoria. It is absurd and totalitarian for any government to
attempt to do so. It is also a violation of the fundamental human rights
of those who want to change.
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