Recently
Britain's leading body for Christian
therapists,
the Association of Christian Counsellors (ACC), instructed its members to stop trying to turn gay patients straight using
so-called "conversion therapy". The
Association of Christian Counsellors (ACC) said the practice should be stopped
"in the interests of public safety".
What
about Australia?
On 24 October 2013 the NSW Legislative Assembly supported a motion introduced by the Member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich, stating that therapies attempting to turn gay people straight do not work, stigmatise gay men and lesbians and are fundamentally damaging to mental health.
An
inquiry
committee has been set up to look into 'the promotion of false or
misleading health-related information or practices'. The end result
could be that NSW becomes the first state in Australia to ban ex-gay/reparative/conversion
therapies. But this will only happen with your help.
The Rev Fred Nile fights back
The Rev Fred Nile in a speech to parliament on 14 November 2013 spoke against the motion that had already been passed said he strongly defended reparative therapy for homosexuals.
'The major factors influencing sexual orientation are various life
experiences that may be perceived differently even by siblings in the same family.
Dr Nicolosi found that many of his male patients had impaired
relationships with their fathers, undermining their sense of masculine
identity. Not all male homosexuals have this experience. Some have revealed
that their family life was happy but school bullying was traumatic. Others
were molested by older boys or adult paedophiles who showed affection
that the younger boy craved. For others, homosexual pornography played a
part. These are only some of the reported influences.' (emphasis mine)
The infamous Dr Nicolosi
In case you don't know who the Dr Nicolosi that Rev Fred Nile is quoting, you may have seen him recently on the Stephen Fry BBC documentary 'Out There'. Nicolosi is the co-founder of a small fringe organisation called the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality,(NARTH) which has no credibility in serious scientific circles in the US or anywhere around the world. He is often quoted as an 'authority' by religious people and organisations and written books such as 'A Parent's Guide To Preventing Homosexuality' sold in Australia's leading Christian bookshop, Koorong.
The Salt Shakers (SS) still believe in conspiracy theories instead of equality.
On their website, the SS, a right wing christian activist organisation, states that this motion and banning of ex-gay/reparative/conversion therapies is all a part of gay conspiracy.
"If people can
change their sexual orientation, then the homosexual activists who claim that
someone is ‘born that way’ would lose one of their key arguments. Homosexual
activists have been campaigning against any therapy or counselling in this area
for some time. Some psychological and psychiatric association's around the
world have made statements condemning such therapy – but, as we will see below,
many of those organisations have ‘gay and lesbian special interest groups’ that
make these statements and sympathetic people who conduct the ‘research’."
Anthony Venn-Brown, former leader of Freedom2Be, who is promoting the view that homosexuality is
compatible with Christianity, is also calling for the CLOSURE of groups that provide
help and support for people who WANT help to change their unwanted homosexual
feelings."
It is now time to take some action.
If you have experienced ex-gay/reparative/conversion therapies then you should write a submission. If you know of anyone who has experienced ex-gay/reparative/conversion therapies then pass this information on to them. This may have happened in one on one counselling, groups sessions or online. All stories are important.
The
submission does haven't to be long or complex. It can simply say:
2. The impact during this time
3. Any negative impact afterwards
4. How you feel about your sexual orientation now and your time spent trying to become straight.
5. What would you recommend the government to do about ex-gay/reparative/conversion therapies
6. Optional - other relevant facts or quotes from professional organisations or authorities in this area.
You only have hours left though as submissions close this Friday 7 Feb 2014.
Please
email me if you have any questions info@gayambassador.com
PS
you might like to make a donation to Ambassadors & Bridge Builders
International that will help us end the
suffering caused by ignorance and misinformation about sexual orientation and
gender diversity.
You can make
your donation a variety of ways here.
If
you doubt how harmful ex-gay/reparative/conversion therapies can be READ
THIS.
Read
what mental health professional organisations say about ex-gay/reparative/conversion
therapies HERE
© Anthony Venn-Brown
Twitter: @gayambassador
Website: www.gayambassador.com
Email: info@gayambassador.com
Anthony Venn-Brown is the co-founder and former leader of Freedom2b, Australia’s largest network of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people from Christian backgrounds. He is also an educator and consultant on LGBT/faith issues and leader in deconstructing the ‘ex-gay’ myth. Anthony’s autobiography 'A Life of Unlearning', details his journey from married, high profile preacher in Australia’s mega-churches to living as an openly gay man. Anthony has been twice voted ‘One of the 25 Most Influential Gay and Lesbian Australians’ (2007 & 2009) and was one of four finalists for the 2011 ACON Community Hero Award. He is also the founder and director of Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International.
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