‘Gay conversion therapy should not be banned’
from Christian Today:
Mike Davidson is the founder of the Core Issues Trust, a Christian ministry supporting men and women who want help with unwanted same-sex attraction.
As the Government considers imposing a ban on so-called ‘gay conversion therapy’, Mike speaks to Christian Today about what the therapy is and isn’t, and why he fears a ban will only lead to the “silencing” of church pulpits.
CT: The name given for this kind of therapy is ‘conversion therapy’ or ‘gay cure therapy’. Are these names accurate?
Mike: No, I don’t know anybody who uses them except gay activists and confused politicians. ‘Gay conversion therapy’ is a pejorative term and definitely a political ploy, not something that any of us working in this field would ever use. It conveys all the wrong things and is defined by things like electroshock therapy, frontal lobotomies, forced castrations and “corrective” rape – none of which have been practised by any ministry that we would know. The term was coined by Dr Douglas Haldeman, an American Psychological Association activist. It’s not a neutral or scientific term.
CT: Do you feel like therapy which seeks to help people with unwanted same-sex attraction is being deliberately discredited?
Mike: Yes, and I think this is premised on the idea that we’re ‘born gay’ and it is therefore natural and unchangeable. Any attempt to help people who want to work through these issues is then dismissed as ‘gay cure’, and one of the arguments that is often presented is: ‘there’s no disease, therefore there’s no need for a cure.’
But people get counselling for bereavement, they get counselling when relationships have broken up because of divorce. It’s not that they’re sick; they’re just looking for support and need to find answers and change the impact upon them…
Watch Dr Davidson on ITV interview on why therapy should not be banned [note how ITV continues to use the pejorative and inaccurate terminology “gay conversion therapy” and “gay cure” even though Dr Davidson has consistently rejected these descriptions – Ed].
Read also: Religious leaders press equalities minister to ban conversion therapy amid possible delay, by Paul Brand, ITV News
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
