Our chief executive Andrea Williams joined Revd Canon Sarah Jones, Debbie Hayton and Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain on BBC’s Sunday Morning Live to debate the proposed ban on conversion therapy.
Anybody who is decidedly unhappy with their unwanted sexual desires should be allowed by law to talk through their experiences, look into the word of God and examine their lifestyles through the biblical framework of a fruitful marriage. Andrea cites thousands of testimonies across the world of people who have come to terms with their biological sex, or have decided to walk away from their unwanted same-sex attraction.
“To make therapeutic spaces unsafe because we say there’s only one way to go is deeply draconian. It’s illiberal, it’s not civilized, it’s actually harming people. What we need is a free and tolerant space where one view is not imposed on the other.”
Debbie Hayton, a married man who transitioned gender 12 years ago, says he “wanted to be challenged at that point” and “the options to be set out” when he sought pastoral help.
“Let’s say a married man wants advice and help on how to avoid the compulsion to transition, to save his marriage – it’s that sort of conversation which I worry about being made illegal and criminalised under these regulations.”
He feels it is important for people to be challenged, because he often wonders if transitioning was necessary in hindsight, and those challenging conversations are so important to him now.
What banning conversion therapy really does is “ban conversations so people feel in fear of speaking out a true Christian biblical sexual ethic”, Andrea explains. She makes reference to numerous cases across the country of people in classrooms, medical and therapy rooms losing their livelihoods for having consensual conversations around biological sex and what transitioning would really mean for the vulnerable.
To get up to speed about why the ban on ‘conversion therapy’ should be opposed, have a look at our website, Free To Talk.