Why I voted against the ‘conversion therapy’ ban and transgender motions at Synod
by Ed Shaw, Premier:
Do you feel you’ve been asked to vote a few many time recently? Two general elections and a referendum in the last couple of years have tried the patience of many. But over the last few days at the General Synod of the Church of England I have voted more times than I have the patience to count. There was a period on Saturday evening when I think we voted five times in a half an hour period on just one controversial motion and a variety of complex amendments.
The headlines will have made it all sound very simple: “Synod bans gay conversion therapy” and “Anglicans welcome transgender people.” And so when the voting records are published it will be very easy for many to vilify Synod members like myself who voted against the motions behind both those positive-sounding headlines. How can any Christian vote to continue electronic shock treatment of vulnerable LGBT people or turn young trans teenagers away from our doors?!
Why I voted against
Except that I only voted against the motion to ban conversion therapy because there was no clear definition of what exactly we were banning. Plenty of appalling past practices were movingly shared and if the motion had been specific enough to give me a chance to clearly condemn such damaging behaviour I would have gladly taken it. Instead ambiguity was allowed to develop about what we were trying to get rid of – would responsible prayer ministry and every day pastoral care of LGBT people be affected by the ban? We were told not, but given no guarantees, and without such clarity I couldn’t support a motion that could undermine the church’s future loving care of people like me.
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