Tuesday, April 13, 2021
  • Sign In
  • Sign Up
NEWSLETTER

Join our newsletter

If you would like to join our newsletter, enter your email address below.

Thank you for joining our newsletter.

An error has occurred, please refresh the page and try again.

Lesbian and Gay News
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Reports
  • Opinion
  • Interviews
  • Politics
  • Books
  • Film
  • Conversation
  • Videos
  • Home
  • Reports
  • Opinion
  • Interviews
  • Politics
  • Books
  • Film
  • Conversation
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
Lesbian and Gay News
No Result
View All Result

Home Politics

Ministers are right to back careful approach on conversion therapy despite LGBT advisors walking out

byJo Bartosch
March 21, 2021
in Politics
4 min read
Jo Bartosch: Lost lesbians in the census
TweetShare

It is hard not to have some sympathy for Jayne Ozanne, James Morton and Ellen Murray, three experts who have this week resigned from the government’s LGBT Advisory Panel. Each have staked their reputation on an ideology that is crumbling under the weight of public and governmental scrutiny.

Ozanne, who quit on Wednesday, criticised Equalities Ministers Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch as having created “a hostile environment for LGBT people among this administration.” All three mentioned a change in attitude to ‘trans rights’ but it was the apparent reluctance of Badenoch to immediately agree to the banning of conversion therapy that was the final straw. Badenoch’s argument was more nuanced than has been widely reported, she noted there is legislation already in place which could be used to prosecute those attempting to undertake conversion therapy.

You may also like

Conservative women criticise minister’s “transmen are men and transwomen are women” remark to MPs

The first woman in the Gay Liberation Front in 1970 is fighting again for lesbian and gay rights in 2021

Debbie Hayton: Why do we need more consultation on the Gender Recognition Act?

Labour MP Rosie Duffield’s fight to defend women’s rights

As Kate Harris and Bev Jackson of the LGB Alliance note:

“Fortunately, whatever disgusting practices existed in the past or exist elsewhere, this no longer occurs in UK clinical settings. A Memorandum of Understanding on conversion therapy has been signed by all professional mental health bodies. The approach it recommends for clients coming to discuss sexual orientation or gender identity is exactly the same. It is a neutral approach – seeking neither to affirm nor deny.”

“There are certainly victims here. They are especially the many young women who were “affirmed” as teenagers and now realise they are lesbians. We are determined to protect them from this misguided and potentially damaging legislation.”

“Any religious fanatics or others who apply coercion in an attempt to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity, whether in a family setting or elsewhere, can be prosecuted for abuse.”

“So who is driving the campaign to legislate against “conversion therapy”? It is driven by Stonewall, Gendered Intelligence, Mermaids and so on. In our view, it has little to do with protecting anyone from conversion therapy.”

“We hear from therapists who tell us they are pressured, in spite of the Memorandum of Understanding, to “affirm” teenagers identifying as the opposite sex without exploring, in the appropriate neutral way, the various factors that may be in play. There are certainly victims here. They are especially the many young women who were “affirmed” as teenagers and now realise they are lesbians. We are determined to protect them from this misguided and potentially damaging legislation.”

Between them, Ozanne, Morton and Murray have spent decades campaigning for the right to love and live without prejudice, secure that they were ‘on the right side of history’ but they failed to acknowledge a conflict between the rights of the LGB and the T. Thankfully, Badenoch and Truss were paying attention and listening to the valid concerns of the people their own advisors had ignorantly dismissed as prejudiced.

“It would be utterly wrong for the government to ban any form of therapy that explores issues of gender identity and gender dysphoria, particularly with vulnerable younger people. Indeed, it can be argued that affirming such young people on a one-way track to a gender change is a new form of conversion therapy, if with a new ‘gender identity’ they become ‘straight’.”

As the group Conservatives for Women noted:

“In recent years there has been a serious effort from some people to use the term ‘conversion therapy’ to apply to gender identity as well as sexual orientation… It would be utterly wrong for the government to ban any form of therapy that explores issues of gender identity and gender dysphoria, particularly with vulnerable younger people. This is particularly so, given there is evidence that a disproportionate number of the young people seeking help with gender identity are same-sex attracted. Indeed, it can be argued that affirming such young people on a one-way track to a gender change is a new form of conversion therapy, if with a new ‘gender identity’ they become ‘straight’.”

The three LGBT Advisory Panel resignees have simply been following the mainstream line, a narrative which argues transgender people are uniquely oppressed and at risk. It is true that in parts of the global South transexuals in prostitution are at risk, but thankfully in the UK people who identify as trans are statistically at a low risk of violence.

The idea that asking questions is harmful should raise alarm bells. One of the most dangerous myths promoted by members of the LGBT Advisory Panel is that any questioning about the belief that people can be born in the wrong body is rooted in hostility and ignorance. It is well known that people who have suffered abuse are at risk of feelings of dissociation from their bodies. Similarly, those with ASD and co-morbid mental health problems are also more likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for gender dysphoria. Hormones and invasive surgeries are a last resort for those who cannot be reconciled with their sexed bodies, and therapists must be free to ask questions in order to reduce instances of post-transition regret. Follow-up studies with those who have undergone medical transition suggest that far from alleviating mental health problems, it can in fact increase the risk of suicidal ideation.  Naturally, these facts do not support the industry that has been built upon the notion that those with gender dysphoria are best served by medical intervention.

How otherwise intelligent people can be sucked into an ideology with such shaky foundations is a testament to how vulnerable each of us is to fashionable group think.

How otherwise intelligent people can be sucked into an ideology with such shaky foundations is a testament to how vulnerable each of us is to fashionable group think.  There is no reason why the notion of ‘gender identity’ should sit alongside sexual orientation, but the sly addition of the ‘T’ to the ‘LGB’ has lulled many people into assuming any challenge to the ideology of gender identity is rooted in bigotry. This is particularly galling when one considers the very basis of sexual orientation is undermined by the theory of gender identity; after-all homosexuals are same-sex, not same ‘gender’ attracted, the clue is in the word.

Common sense has not always been popular, and it is easy to forget the punishments meted out to those in the past who dared to challenge the mainstream orthodoxy. It took around three hundred years before the model developed by Copernicus showing the sun at the centre of the solar system was accepted, and in the interim those who supported heliocentrism were persecuted and punished by the Catholic Church.

Such unenlightened thinking is not a thing of the past, today’s heretics like the LGB Alliance are considered ‘unclean’ by those who have staked their reputation and livelihoods to transgender ideology. Let’s hope it doesn’t take three centuries for common sense around sex and gender to roll back round.

Jo Bartosch is a writer and campaigner for the rights of women and girls.

 

Tags: Kemi BadenochLGBT Advisory PanelLiz Truss
Previous Post

The first ever Detransition Awareness Day is today Friday 12th March

Next Post

Claire Heuchan: Revisiting the golden age of lesbian spaces

Comments 1

The views/opinions expressed in these comments are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Lesbian & Gay News. Please thoroughly read our comment policy before posting.
  1. Judith Berridge says:
    1 month ago

    Further legislation is clearly unnecessary. Let's hope that the government hold firm on this.

    Reply

To view all comments and to join the conversation, please sign in or register.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must sign in to join the conversation.

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Sign in to comment.

Would you like to sign in or register?

WeeklyNewsletter

Loading...

If you would like to receive our weekly newsletter, enter your email address below. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Thank you for joining our newsletter, you may unsubscribe at any time.

An error has occurred, please refresh the page and try again.

TopStories

Lauren Black: “I am a butch lesbian. I live with gender dysphoria. I do not believe my deep discomfort with my female body means that I should take steps to change it.”
Lesbian Lives

Lauren Black: “I am a butch lesbian. I live with gender dysphoria. I do not believe my deep discomfort with my female body means that I should take steps to change it.”

by Lesbian and Gay News
April 9, 2021
23.2k
The accidental camp of trans activism, by MrMenno
Opinion

The accidental camp of trans activism, by MrMenno

by Lesbian and Gay News
March 26, 2021
8.4k
Arty Morty: Graham Linehan’s gender blasphemy exposes the fear that stifles the trans debate
Opinion

Arty Morty: Graham Linehan’s gender blasphemy exposes the fear that stifles the trans debate

by Lesbian and Gay News
April 11, 2021
7.3k
James Dreyfus: “This ‘No Debate’ stance has to end. Now.”
Opinion

James Dreyfus: “I’ve lost count of the times I’ve been smeared, lied about, called a Nazi, a transphobe… how does one begin to tackle such baseless accusations?”

by Lesbian and Gay News
April 4, 2021
7.2k
Report from Iceland: LGB activists battle against “The National Queer Organisation of Iceland”
Reports

Report from Iceland: LGB activists battle against “The National Queer Organisation of Iceland”

by Lesbian and Gay News
March 23, 2021
7k

RecommendedPosts

Mark Bunyan’s Private Member comes out for the first time

Mark Bunyan’s Private Member comes out for the first time

by Lesbian and Gay News
March 21, 2021
219

A dream of acceptance: Novelist and playwright Tim Mason on his magical play “Levitation”

A dream of acceptance: Novelist and playwright Tim Mason on his magical play “Levitation”

by Lesbian and Gay News
March 20, 2021
68

The Gay Spot by LGB Alliance – Gender Dysphoria

The Gay Spot by LGB Alliance – Gender Dysphoria

by Lesbian and Gay News
February 26, 2021
183

Rose of Dawn says trans activists don’t speak for her

Rose of Dawn says trans activists don’t speak for her

by Lesbian and Gay News
February 26, 2021
226

MostRecent

Arkansas passes bill protecting children from puberty blockers, cross sex hormones and surgery

Arkansas passes bill protecting children from puberty blockers, cross sex hormones and surgery

April 13, 2021
146

The UN, ILGA, Stonewall and the Women’s Caucus: Jo Bartosch investigates calls for the removal of laws prohibiting sex with or between adolescents

April 13, 2021
5.3k

Professional Judy on a loss of space: “Our sexual orientation and our experience as gay men is not a costume you can put on or take off at will.”

April 12, 2021
1.1k

Categories

  • Activism
  • Books
  • Film
  • Gay Lives
  • Gender Dysphoria
  • Interviews
  • Lesbian and Gay News
  • Lesbian Lives
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Reports
  • Theatre
  • Videos

Related Posts

The House of Homophobia: Jo Bartosch asks why MPs are misrepresenting the LGB Alliance?

The House of Homophobia: Jo Bartosch asks why MPs are misrepresenting the LGB Alliance?

March 31, 2021
3k
Jo Bartosch reports on political cartoonist Stella Perrett’s book “2020 The Year We Were All Cancelled”

Jo Bartosch reports on political cartoonist Stella Perrett’s book “2020 The Year We Were All Cancelled”

April 1, 2021
350
Debbie Hayton: Why do we need more consultation on the Gender Recognition Act?

Debbie Hayton: What about the sexual orientation question in tomorrow’s Census?

March 24, 2021
542
Jo Bartosch reports on last night’s debate on conversion therapy in the House of Commons – and is left angry and disappointed

Jo Bartosch reports on last night’s debate on conversion therapy in the House of Commons – and is left angry and disappointed

March 10, 2021
2k
Conservative women criticise minister’s “transmen are men and transwomen are women” remark to MPs

Conservative women criticise minister’s “transmen are men and transwomen are women” remark to MPs

March 4, 2021
843
The first woman in the Gay Liberation Front in 1970 is fighting again for lesbian and gay rights in 2021

The first woman in the Gay Liberation Front in 1970 is fighting again for lesbian and gay rights in 2021

February 26, 2021
4k

Next Post
Claire Heuchan: Using difference creatively

Claire Heuchan: Revisiting the golden age of lesbian spaces

Categories

  • Activism
  • Books
  • Film
  • Gay Lives
  • Gender Dysphoria
  • Interviews
  • Lesbian and Gay News
  • Lesbian Lives
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Reports
  • Theatre
  • Videos

About Us

Lesbian and Gay News is an alternative source of news and opinion. Lesbian and Gay News picks up from an historic tradition of British lesbian and gay publications such as Gay News, which ran from 1972-1983, and The Pink Paper, which ran for 25 years from 1987.

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

© 2021 lesbianandgaynews.com - BM Payments Services Limited

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Reports
  • Opinion
  • Interviews
  • Politics
  • Books
  • Film
  • Conversation
  • Videos
  • Sign In
  • Sign Up

© 2021 lesbianandgaynews.com - BM Payments Services Limited

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.