Note: Since I wrote this blog yesterday the vote on banning Conversion Therapy took place in the House of Commons. It passed with unanimous support from all parties. I'm going to receive this outcome as an answer to prayer.
It took far too long for the federal Liberals to reconvene parliament but MP's are back in Ottawa, mostly, and the minority government has set out its immediate agenda. One of the important pieces of legislation is actually the completion of a previouis bill regarding what is known as conversion therapy. Here is a succint description by CTV of what some regard as coercive brain-washing or even torture:
On Monday, the federal government will be tabling an enhanced version of their bill to largely ban conversion therapy practices in Canada, moving forward with a stronger version of previously-halted legislation.The version of the bill coming next week is expected to include more teeth and potentially a wider reach when it comes to cracking down on the harmful practice.
Conversion “therapy” as it’s been called, seeks to change a person's sexual orientation to heterosexual or gender identity to cisgender, and has been opposed by numerous health and human rights groups.
It's likely that this bill will bass because it is supported by the NDP and to a degree by Conservatives. The CTV piece notes:
After 62 Conservative MPs voted against the ban last year, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole’s platform stated that he wants to see the practice eradicated, though with amendments to clarify that “the ban does not criminalize non-coercive conversations,” a concern pushed by those opposed to the bill.
O'Toole has announced that he will allow a free vote for the party's MP's but it is disturbing that roughly half voted against this legislation previously. The reality is that many of those Conservative Members of Parliament are also conservative Christians or are beholden to Christians who are anti-LGBTQ2+ within their constituencies. Some have used disturbing language to describe LGBTQ2+ persons, including "unclean." Even though there is plenty of evidence that these attempts at conversion are unsuccessful and psychologically damaging, often perpetrated by people with no credible training, we have elected representatives in our country who continue to support them.
I'll remind you about the film Boy Erased based on a memoir with the same title and which stars Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, and Russell Crowe. It tells the story of the son of Baptist parents in the US who is forced to take part in a conversion therapy program. It is both chilling and hopeful as the family finds its way to understanding and acceptance.
There is also a highly rated documentary called Pray Away which explores the damage done by conversion therapy and the "pray away the gay" approach. So often these are vulnerable teens who are threatened with God's displeasure as well as ostracization by their families and communities of faith.
We can certainly pray -- that MP's find the moral courage to respect all people as children of God and pass this legislation.
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