The Haldimand Press has a policy that we run any letters so long as they are not libelous and do not call for violence against a particular group. Charles Lugosi’s letter posed a problematic quandary for us because, while it doesn’t call for the pitchforks or outright violence, it is ultimately calling for practices to remain that do cause harm. Conversion therapy is scientifically proven to be futile, and more than that, it’s proven to be dangerous.
So, in the interest of education, I’ve decided to answer back to Lugosi’s letter.
I’ll begin with a quick terminology refresher, as Lugosi is under the misunderstanding that being transgender has anything to do with sexual orientation. The LGBTQ+ community has two primary considerations: sexual orientation and gender identity. These are mutually exclusive of each other. It may feel that there are lot of terms related to sexual orientation and gender identity now, but that’s simply because language has evolved to better distinguish between the vast spectrum of possibilities.
Lugosi’s next error is the assumption that “most people assume that being male or female is to be preferred.” I believe Lugosi has made this error because of subjective validation, or simply put that he wishes it were true. However, 84% of Canadians surveyed by the Angus Reid Institute in 2016 said they would support adding gender identity as a prohibited ground for discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act, while 70% of Canadians said that society adopting a more fluid concept of gender would be a good thing.
Lugosi is correct that this new law reaffirms his way of thinking to be invalid, but that doesn’t make the law wrong. That law will protect our youth.
San Francisco State University found that “compared with LGBTQ young people who were not rejected or were only a little rejected by their parents and caregivers because of their gay or transgender identity, highly rejected LGBTQ young people were”:
- 8.4x more likely to report having attempted suicide
- 5.9x more likely report high levels of depression
- 3.4x more likely to use illegal drugs
- 3.4x more likely to be at high risk of HIV and STDs.
In 2007, the American Psychological Association (APA) established the Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation. This task force would release a report confirming that, after extensive review, conversion therapy is ineffective and harmful. What a surprise!
It found no empirical evidence that providing any type of therapy in childhood can alter adult same-sex sexual orientation. Additionally, it found that while adults undergoing therapy can change their sexual orientation identity (often temporarily), this did not actually change their sexual orientation.
While conversion therapy can see some beneficial outcomes, such as providing a space for someone to speak about their feelings, those benefits are all found in legitimate, affirmative therapy sessions. Conversion therapy, meanwhile, is correlated with decreased self-esteem; increased self-hatred, confusion, depression, hopelessness, shame, social withdrawal, and suicidality; anger at and a sense of betrayal by organizers and family/friends; increased substance abuse and high-risk sexual behaviors; a feeling of being dehumanized; a loss of faith; and a sense of having wasted time and resources.
These harms have long-lasting impacts on participants’ wellbeing and relationships. It should absolutely be a crime to cause these harms to people, particularly when their sexual orientation and gender identity cause no harm to others.
Lugosi then targets the early measures being taken within the transgender community. Hormone blockers are used to avoid the permanent changes made to the body during puberty, such as facial hair and breast growth, to limit the stress these changes can have on a transgender child and to avoid future surgeries to reverse those changes. These blockers have previously been used safely for children who began puberty too young, as they can be stopped to continue with puberty later. Of course, any medical decisions should be discussed thoroughly with a trusted medical professional and be based on the individual patient. Additional studies should absolutely be done on the health and wellbeing of transgender children, including the use of hormone blockers and additives, to ensure best practices are applied.
Lugosi points to Walt Heyer as an example of how people can regret transitioning. It should be noted that Heyer transitioned in 1983 at the age of 42. Accepted and available therapies have come a long way in the last 38 years.
Regardless, Heyer had the right to transition, and he had the right to detransition. This bill will not stop people from detransitioning, as those people could continue to receive affirmative therapy and medical assistance to better their mental wellbeing and conform their physical bodies with their gender identity. It is estimated that between about 1-5% of people who seek to transition will detransition, although for some the detransition is temporary. The fact that a small percentage change their mind does not invalidate the feelings of the remaining 95+%.
As for sexual education, it absolutely has a place in our schools. Children should be informed and educated to the best of our abilities, and the fact it is relying on parents ensures inconsistent and inaccurate information will prevail for many children. While teachers are not all-knowing, they can at least provide a standardized set of information, giving all children an equal foundational knowledge.
LGBTQ+ people are just that, people. Our people deserve our support and acceptance – from family, friends, medical personnel, and more – to ensure they thrive.
If you would like to learn more about the LGBTQ+ community, and therefore members of our own community, visit egale.ca and itgetsbetter.org.
