It is widely agreed that acceptance and equality are corner stones of Canadian values; however, there is a glaring hole in the progressive legislation of the country: conversion therapy is completely legal on the federal level. According to a 2020 study on the prevalence of conversion therapy in Canada from the Canadian Journal of Psychology, conversion therapies “are pseudoscientific practices intended to suppress or deny sexual attraction to members of the same gender/sex” (Salway 1). The study goes on to note the different types of conversion therapy seen in Canada: aversion therapy, which includes shock therapy and nausea inducing drugs, religious therapy, which includes prayer, confession, and repentance, and desensitization to same-sex materials. These outdated practices first emerged in the 1970’s after the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental illness and since then have been condemned by the Canadian Psychological Association, the Canadian Psychiatric Association as well as numerous other organizations. Canada is on its way to criminalizing this dangerous practice with legislation against it being picked up, after being put on hold in March, this October. Despite the condemnation of conversion therapy from countless mental health profesionals, the progressive values of Canadians as a whole, and the progress made towards banning the practice, there are still those who appose a ban based on outdated information, bigotry and fear. Despite the opposition, the issue is clear: conversion therapy is a dangerous, harmful practice. It is in opposition to the core values of Canadian society and the Canadian government should proceed with its criminalization.
One of the main reasons that the Canadian government is considering the criminalization of conversion therapy is that it is incredibly harmful to individuals as well as the LGBT community as a whole in Canadian society. All kinds of conversion therapy have negative effects, some even life threatening. A 2018 study of people sent to conversion therapy by their parents showed that the practice could be associated with lower incomes and lower grades. A 2020 servey of LGBT men in Canada found conversion therapy to be associated with loneliness, depression, drug use, self-hatred, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts. In fact, the survey found that 30% of the men who attended some form of conversion therapy had attempted suicide at least once. This, paired with the 97% failure rate of conversion therapy found in the aforementioned survey, show that conversion therapy is nothing more than the practice of pointlessly psychologically traumatizing LGBT people. Not only can conversion therapy considerably lower quality of life and even be deadly for LGBT people, but the practice and its legal status contribute to the general stigmatization of the LGBT community. In the statement released by the Canadian government regarding the proposed federal ban of conversion therapy the author states that “It reflects myths and stereotypes about LGBTQ2 persons, in particular that sexual orientations other than heterosexual, and gender identities other than cisgender, can and should be changed.” (Lametti 1). This idea that sexuality and gender intentity can be changed is prevalent in pro-conversion therapy conversations with Dale O’Leary, an author for the conservative catholic publication, Crisis Magazine, writing that “there is substantial, unchallenged evidence that change of SSA (same-sex attraction) ... is common.” (O’Leary 1). By making conversion therapy illegal, it will not only tell LGBT people that they are protected by the government, but also send a message to those that promote conversion therapy that the government sees same-sex attraction change as an imposible feat. The dangers of conversion therapy are tremendous, not only to the people who are forced to suffer thorugh the trauma of conversion therapy, but to the entire LGBT community who are stigmatized because of the false narrative that sexuality and gender identity can be changed.
While it is currently still a legal practice, the Canadian federal government has recently taken groundbreaking steps towards banning conversion therapy. In fact, the proposed legislation not only bans conversion therapy, but treats it like the life threatening practice that it is and makes it a criminal offense. On March ninth, 2020, the Honourable David Lametti, Canada’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and the Honourable Bardish Chagger, Canada’s Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth released a statement regarding the legislation that they had brought forward to the Canadian federal government. Their proposal is an amendment to the criminal code, writing into law five new criminal offenses relating to conversion therapy. Under this amendment “...causing a minor to undergo conversion therapy, removing a minor from Canada to undergo conversion therapy abroad, causing a person to undergo conversion therapy against their will, profiting from providing conversion therapy (and) advertising an offer to provide conversion therapy” (Lametti 1) will all be crimes. This would be the first federal ban on conversion therapy, although not the first ban against the practice in the country. Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, St. Albert, Strathcona, Lethbridge, Wood Buffalo and Spruce Grove all have bans against conversion therapy within their city limits. Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island also have laws prohibiting health care workers from practicing conversion therapy on minors. The proposed federal legislation covers the entire country as to not leave decisions around such consequential laws up to individual provinces and cities. By having the ban be an amendment to the criminal code, it further discourages those who practice or support conversion therapy as they will then be backing a criminal offense rather than a practice that is simply looked down on by those who they do not even agree with. While the ban will convey a strong message to those who support conversion therapy, it also says a lot to LGBT Canadians. In the federal government’s official statement of the proposed legislation, David Lametti commented, “The approach we are proposing today demonstrates our Government’s strong commitment to protecting the dignity and equality rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and two-spirit Canadians” (Lametti 1). Earlier this year, in an article from Simon Fraser University, the director of Knowledge Exchange and Policy Development at the CBRC, Michael Kwag, explains what he believes a Canada-wide ban would mean for LGBT people:
A federal ban on conversion therapy would send a strong message to Canadians
and the rest of the world that attempting to change someone’s sexual orientation,
gender identity or expression is not only ineffective, but wrong … For queer and
trans people who have been subjected to conversion therapy, a ban would help
validate and affirm their experiences of survival and healing. (Kwag 1)
The proposed legislation would tell LGBT Canadians that the government has their interests and protection in mind and that those who suffered through conversion therapy are recognized as having been subjected to a truly horrible experience. Both the statement from the writer of the legislation and its criminal code ammendment tell LGBT Canadians that not only does the government want to protect them against the dangers of conversion therapy and the discrimination that the pracice perpetuates, but that the federal government recognizes the harms of conversion therapy.
While not vocal in mainstream media or Canadian politics, there is a strong base that supports conversion therapy. Although, their stance on the topic is based on outdated, disproved information, bigotry and a fundamental misunderstanding of sexuality. The main argument made in favor of conversion therapy is the claim that sexuality is influenced by environment rather than being something that we are born with and therefore cannot be changed. However, this claim has not been scientifically substantiated in more that 50 years. In her 2012 Crisis Magazine article, Dale O’Leary states, “Parents should also educate their daughters on the value of chastity, marriage, motherhood, and strong feminine values. Just as parents immunize their daughters against contagious diseases, they should immunize them against pro-SSA propaganda.” (O’Leary 1). The ideas perpetuated in this article as well as other conservative writings on the nature of sexuality perfectly lend themselves to the argument for conversion therapy. By looking at sexuality as a problem behaviour that children learn from their surroundings, it implies that behaviour can be unlearned, and that it should and can be changed. However, much of the so called “substantial, unchallenged evidence” (O’Leary 1) that conversion therapy works and that sexuality can be changed is from outdated, disproved studies. In fact, the supporting text for O’Leary’s article is a study on conversion therapies' effect on women from 1967. O’Leary uses this more than fifty year old study to back up her claims that conversion therapy success is common. Not only is it irresponsible to use such outdated information when many studies have been conducted on the same topic in recent years, but it is simply false to present this as “unchallenged”. Not only is sexuality seen as unchangeable by many psychological and psychiatric associations, but there is very recent proof that this is the case. According to a 2020 study of gay, bisexual, and queer men in Canada shows a 97% failure rate in conversion therapy. Furthermore, in a March, 2019 article written by Samantha Allen of Daily Beast New York, many ex-religious conversion therapists gave testimonies on how their own practices did not work, and that one cannot, in fact, change sexuality. Allen goes on to summarize their statements, saying, “Perhaps nothing else could be more impactful in the fight against conversion therapy than even more former leaders coming forward to testify to the harm of trying to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity” (Allen 1). Not only does scientific evidence disprove their argument, but those who used to be the most vocal champions of the wonders of conversion therapy now speak against conversion therapy’s effectivness. The lack of scientific proof or first hand evidence cited by those who support conversion therapy can only lead one to question the validity of an arguement with no factual backbone.
As with the arguemtent in favor of conversion therapy, the argument against the criminalization of the practice also has very little factual or logical evidence to back it up. Furthermore, the moral basis for this argument is misaligned with Canadian ideals. It is argued that by banning conversion therapy, freedoms are being taken away from those who would go willingly. In her 2018 article titled, “Hollywood’s One-Sided Narrative on “Conversion Therapy”” Monica Burke lays out the basis for this arguement. She explains that “We should take into account the legitimate needs of those who wish to pursue therapy that supports their lifestyle choices, even if they don’t conform to the latest cultural trends.” (Burke 1). While it is initially understandable to want to give as many freedoms as possible, especially when they do not affect others, this argument crumbles when looked at with the least bit of scrutiny. It further perpetuates the idea that sexuality can be, and should be, changed. Not only is this idea widely regarded as damaging to LGBT people, but it goes against Canadian values of acceptance and equality. Article 15 (1) of Canada’s 1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that “Every individual ... has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination” (Trudeau 1). This demonstrates the Canadian ideals of acceptance and discouragement of discriminination. Rather than argue that sexuality should be changed, it would be much more in line with Canada’s national values to instead teach the acceptance of one's sexuality. The idea that it is wrong to be anything other than heterosexual, and that orientation should then be changed goes against one of Canada’s governing documents. When this is all that is presented in opposition to a Canadian ban of conversion therapy, it is clear that this stance has no place in Canadian politics.
Canadian society is built on ideas of equality and acceptance, values that are backed by a governing Canadian document. With these values in mind, it is clear that the horrific practice of conversion therapy has no place in Canada. The proposed criminalization of the practice is a huge step forward, and should be passed into law as it would send a powerful message of support to LGBT Canadians. What does it say to the Canadian queer community if conversion therapy is allowed to continue to traumatize and stigmatize them?
Works Sited:
Salway, Travis, et al. “Prevalence of Exposure to Sexual Orientation Change Efforts and
Associated Sociodemographic Characteristics and Psychosocial Health Outcomes among Canadian Sexual Minority Men” SAGE Journals, The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 26 Jan. 2020, journals.sagepub.com/eprint/WD8EWWWHW6RZYUNVG8XR/full.
“Study Finds Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapy Still Common in Canada.” SFU News -
Simon Fraser University, Simon Fraser University, 28 Jan. 2020, www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stories/2020/01/study-finds-sexual-orientation-conversion-therapy-still-common-i.html.
Department of Justice Canada. “Federal Government Introduces Legislation to Criminalize
Conversion Therapy-Related Conduct in Canada .” Canada.ca, Government of Canada, 9 Mar. 2020, www.canada.ca/en/department-justice/news/2020/03/federal-government-introduces-legislation-to-criminalize-conversion-therapy-related-conduct-in-canada.html.
O'Leary, Dale. “Change and Same Sex Attraction in Women.” Crisis Magazine, Crisis Magazine,
22 June 2012, www.crisismagazine.com/2012/change-and-ssa-in-women.
Trudeau, Pierre E. “Charter of Rights and Freedoms: Equality Rights.” Constitution Acts,
Legislative Services Branch, 9 Apr. 2020, laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/page-15.html.
Ryan, Caitlin, et al. “Parent-Initiated Sexual Orientation Change Efforts With LGBT Adolescents:
Implications for Young Adult Mental Health and Adjustment.” Journal of Homosexuality, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 7 Nov. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30403564.
Burke, Monica. “Hollywood's One-Sided Narrative on ‘Conversion Therapy.’” The Heritage
Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 21 Nov. 2018, www.heritage.org/gender/commentary/hollywoods-one-sided-narrative-conversion-therapy.
Mahoney, Neve. “The Case for Banning Gay Conversion Therapy.” EBSCO, 28 Sept. 2018,
www.eurekastreet.com.au/article/the-case-for-banning-gay-conversion-therapy.
Allen, Samantha. “Meet the Conversion Therapists Who Turned Against Conversion Therapy:
Some of the Most Powerful Voices against Conversion Therapy Are Those of Ex-Conversion Therapists, Who Have Now Come out as LGBT and Formed Their Own Support Group.” EBSCO, 20 Mar. 2019, web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=6&sid=b795cd25-9617-47c9-9ebe-55543ecd1050%40sdc-v-sessmgr02&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=135442651&db=rch.