UN Council for Human Rights review of ‘Conversion Therapy’
From Core Issues Trust: The International Federation for Therapeutic and Counselling Choice has responded to the call for input from the UN Council for Human Rights, which is reviewing its position on “conversion therapy”.
Using detailed research, the document requests the office of the U.N. Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity to:
- Explain how imposing bans on therapeutic choice by insisting that change-allowing therapies may not be used in any circumstance is consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- Distinguish between the legitimate notion of clients exploring sexual attraction fluidity in therapy sessions with professional therapists and counsellors, and practices forcing, guaranteeing or offering unrealistic goals of categorical change thereby implying notions of absolute change.
- Reflect on the widespread refusal, internationally, to engage with dissenting views and beneficiaries of change-allowing therapies, those who identify as formerly LGBT, their therapists and the literature supporting their work.
- Highlight the danger of excluding those formerly LGBT from the research data by excluding those who had benefitted from therapeutic (or pastoral) interventions from contributing to surveys designed to have policy implications for entire population groups.
- Not to oppose ethical contemporary therapy that is open to clients’ goals of change for sexual attraction or behaviour or for gender identity or expression they do not want. No one should take away their freedom and their right to develop attractions consistent with their faith, to identify as they choose, to live the life that brings them joy—and to have support to do so.
The response may be read in full here.
Also:
The IFTCC has produced a video of highlights from its recent conference.
See also:
Weak Data, Small Samples, and Politicized Conclusions on LGBT Discrimination, by Mark Regnerus, Public Discourse
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