Churches, LGBTI Christians urge crackdown on 'conversion' therapy
Churches, health experts and Amnesty International have thrown their weight behind calls for a national inquiry into gay ‘conversion’ therapy, warning Australia's new Pentecostal Prime Minister that such practices can be fatal for LGBTI Christians.
With a federal election on the horizon, a coalition of survivors, pastors and community advocates have urged the Morrison government to address the issue as part of a bipartisan crackdown.
In a survivor-led petition and statement sent to Mr Morrison and Federal Labor Leader Bill Shorten over the weekend, signatories have also called for greater powers for health and consumer watchdogs, tougher regulations for counsellors, and a public health and awareness campaign.
The statement notes that victims of gay conversion practices “have endured and survived a system which dehumanised and shamed them, despite their sense of deep devotion and connection to their faith community''.
“Specifically, there is a need for our elected representatives to play their part in openly challenging the deadly ideology that has been allowed to proliferate in Australia’s diverse religious community,” it says.
Gay conversion therapy is an umbrella term given to any attempt to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity. It can take many forms, including counselling, pastoral care, prayers and exorcisms, support groups, conferences, and online courses.
But while the notion that homosexuality can be “cured” has been discredited globally, a Fairfax Media investigation revealed this year that conversion practices and ideology is still a mission for some groups, many of which are faith-based.
Based partly on the notion that being gay is a form of "brokenness", it has also led to some LGBTI Christians taking their own life when attempts to change their sexuality have failed.
Mr Morrison is an Evangelical Christian who voted against marriage equality and champions religious freedom. However, Chris Csabs, a gay Christian who underwent conversion therapy at 19, told Fairfax Media: “He should care because the ‘gay conversion’ movement is harmful. It is killing people - and there is nothing Christian about that.”
The 43,000-strong petition and statement was prepared by Mr Csabs along with advocacy groups such as the Brave Network, which supports LGBTI people of faith.
Signatories include Amnesty International, Pastor Rebecca Bauer from the Melbourne Inclusive Church; Reverend Dr Robyn Whitaker from the University of Divinity; former Australian Medical Association president Kerryn Phelps; Activate Church in South Australia; and Victorian Young Australian of the Year recipients Jason Ball and Georgie Stone.
It comes after a national survey found that banning gay conversion therapy topped a list of priorities for the LGBTI community ahead of the federal election.
With the poll only a few months away, Federal Labor has already signalled it would crack down on the issue if it wins government, and the Greens have long been in favour of reform.
However, the Coalition has made no such commitments, with last month’s leadership coup against Malcolm Turnbull the latest sign of the deep divide between moderate and conservative forces within the government.
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