Mick Hartley

Bev Jackson of the LGB Alliance sets us straight on the farcical conversion therapy debate:

Of course, all sane people agree that gay conversion therapy is monstrous. Sexual orientation is a fact of life. It is who you are attracted to – men or women or both. If a teenage girl consults a therapist because she is distressed about her lesbian feelings, the therapist should naturally accept that this is her sexuality and help her to feel comfortable about it. That is not controversial.

But those who want ‘conversion practices’ to be banned for gender identity are asking for something entirely different. If a teenage girl consults a therapist because she says she is a boy, campaigners say the therapist must immediately accept (or ‘affirm’) her claim. And if she wants puberty blockers to stop herself developing into a woman, then the therapist must refer her to an endocrinologist who can administer the drugs. Later, she can be referred to a surgeon to have her breasts removed.

According to the gender ideologues, anyone who even questions how the girl arrived at the conclusion that she is a boy is not a good ‘ally’. Worse still, such people – whether they are therapists, teachers, priests or even parents – are said to be guilty of ‘conversion practices’ and should be punished.

Advocates of the ban have been very clear that they want to outlaw even the most mild of exploratory conversations. MPs have praised similar bans introduced elsewhere – such as the one in Victoria, Australia, where giving exploratory talking therapy to a person claiming to be the opposite sex can land you with up to 10 years in prison. As a result, therapists steer clear of children who are distressed about their gender and young people can’t get help. This is a disaster from every angle.

The ban on ‘gender-identity conversion practices’ seeks to outlaw essential exploratory conversations – not only with therapists, but also with other trusted adults. This is a pernicious goal.

It is well-documented that most young people who do not conform to gendered stereotypes are likely to grow up to be lesbian, gay or bisexual. Yet today, under the influence of the internet, ‘gender non-conformity’ is being misread as trans identity.

As a result, actual, obnoxious LGB conversion practices really are taking place – all over TikTok and YouTube and in schools. Girls with short hair who like sports and who are attracted to other girls are being told that they are actually straight boys. Gentle boys, who prefer dolls to cars and are attracted to other boys, are being told that they are actually straight girls. Both are being pushed towards irreversible ‘gender affirming’ treatments that can mean a lifetime of pain and regret.

And do the virtue-signalling, ‘right side of history’ lot want to ban these practices? Perish the thought. This is the grim irony of those demanding a ban on ‘conversion therapy’ – they would condemn untold numbers of young gay people to precisely the kind of suffering they claim to oppose.

It's a sign of how twisted the debate has become: the real conversion therapy is the trans delusion that kids who don't conform to gender stereotypes have been "born in the wrong body", and need medical intervention to turn them into cruel parodies of the opposite sex.