Conversion therapy still used locally
Lethbridge-initiated petition looks to prohibit use on people under 18
Ontario, Manitoba and a number of U.S. states have taken steps to end “conversation therapy” for lesbian and gay teens.
But in Lethbridge, young people have reported counsellors’ attempts to use exorcism and other damaging procedures in efforts to “cure” them of their sexual orientation. And Thursday, speakers warned the discredited “therapy” is still used here, funded in part by a city hall committee.
“It’s not just by churches and pastors but by licensed psychologists,” explained Jenn Takahashi, administrative director of the Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group.
Takahashi and Devon Hargreaves, co-president of the YQueerL Society for Change, told the weekly Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs forum more than 9,000 Canadians have signed a Lethbridge-initiated petition to prohibit use of the “therapy” on people under 18 years.
“This isn’t about religion, it’s about protecting children,” Hargreaves said.
A Saskatoon MP is ready to present the petition to Parliament, seeking legislation under the Criminal Code. One of its provisions, Takahashi said, should be a ban on dragging teenagers to “conversion therapy” sessions in U.S. states that still allow them.
While members of the federal Conservative caucus have voiced support of the petition, she said, the proponents have had no response from Lethbridge MP Rachael Harder.
At the provincial level, Hargreaves said, a private member’s bill could put an end to public funding for that form of counselling.
It would be “more a show of support” than a readily enforceable law, he said. But Takahashi said it now looks like that measure may be presented to the legislature as a government-backed bill.
Asked about taxpayer support for those practices in Lethbridge, she said some counsellors funded through Family and Community Social Services continue to offer it.
A retired chartered psychologist, Bev Muendel Atherstone pointed out the profession’s national body outlawed the practice years ago. But anyone, with or without professional training, can claim to be a counsellor.
Anyone violating a code of ethics, she added, should be reported to the appropriate authority.
But in reality, Takahashi responded, “That makes it incredibly difficult for people to speak out.”
Another audience member reported being interviewed for a position with Crossroads Counselling, only to learn those “conversion” sessions would be part of her job. She turned it down.
But it’s not just public funding that allows the practice to continue in Lethbridge, Takahashi said. While a growing number of Christian denominations accept lesbian and gay members as they are, others continue to push them to see “conversion” counsellors.
Locally, she said, some Dutch Reformed and evangelical congregations pay those counsellors.
But government ministries throughout the western nations are taking action on the issue, she reported, and bans may be enacted in Britain and Australia before Canada’s Parliament responds.