Mick Hartley

Kathleen Stock in the Telegraph on the proposed conversion therapy ban:

The Government is again said to be planning a ban on “conversion therapy” for trans people, including for minors, despite a raft of legitimate concerns from professionals already on record and despite previous indications that the ban would not go ahead. When discussing possible medical pathways for children, it’s of the utmost importance that a troubled child or teen’s thoughts and feelings are properly explored. And yet this is effectively what Rishi Sunak appears to be planning to prevent.

The rhetorical use of the phrase “conversion therapy” conjures up lurid images of young gay men and lesbians being unforgivably subjected to coercive, traumatic “cures” for their harmless sexual orientation. But this is far from the truth. Under the proposed legislation, doctors, counsellors, and therapists could be forced to simply affirm any child who claimed to be trans, or face potential prosecution for attempting to change the child's identity.

Such legislation would create a one-sided situation where trans activists and sympathetic therapists could suggest to impressionable young people that their problems might be solved by “admitting” they are trans – surely a form of conversion too. More sober-minded professionals would be unable to make the opposing case.

The critical exploration by a health professional of a child’s self-attributed identity – for instance, questioning a boy who says he is a girl, or a girl who says she is non-binary – could be out of bounds. Without proper exploration, a child like this can end up on a medicalised pathway towards puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgery….

Doubtless Sunak is under pressure from trans activists, whose influence on the UK establishment remains regrettably strong despite a number of recent blows to their credibility. Perhaps the goal is to offer a sop to appease them in light of the UK government’s controversial proposed intervention in the Scottish Gender Recognition Bill row.

There’s no good reason for the Government to give one inch. Since 2015, trans activists have pushed unrelentingly for policies that affirm any and all trans identity claims – whether it’s on gender recognition certificates, in prisons, hospital wards, classrooms, nurseries, or in the therapy room. Their continued obstinate deafness to obvious safeguarding concerns, whether for women or children, is frankly cult-like and not the behaviour of responsible public organisations. Sunak needs to think again, and fast.

I'm not entirely convinced that this proposed extension of the conversion therapy ban does include gender: there's so much confused reporting on the subject. But if this is what's intended  – and especially if this is seen as some kind of half-baked sop for blocking Sturgeon's gender bill – then yes, it would be a huge mistake.