'I have met far too many who regret transitioning,' says Debbie Hayton
‘I transitioned in 2012 and underwent surgery four years later… I have met far too many people who regret it. Therapy is crucial,’ writes teacher and activist Debbie Hayton
Twelve years ago, I was a happily married, middle-aged man with a good job and three wonderful children. But something was wrong. I had convinced myself that I had been born into the wrong sex.
After years of crushing anxiety and even moments of physical self-harming caused by this understanding, I transitioned in 2012 and underwent gender reassignment surgery four years later.
But I only did this after a series of challenging, sometimes painful – yet ultimately rewarding sessions with a qualified psychotherapist. She did not deny my feelings. Rather, she insisted that we should explore every possible avenue before I resorted to an irreversible chemical and biological change.
Although I went ahead with my transition, my conversations with this professional were invaluable. Whenever I have doubts about my decision, I can remind myself that I did everything possible to ensure it was the only way to relieve the pain and distress I felt as a man. This is why Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is wrong to ban so-called ‘conversion therapy’, as he is expected to do in a draft Bill in the King’s Speech.
Last month, a government source said the putative ban was ‘dead in the water’, after a raft of groups raised concerns about it. But now, should the Bill become law, it will become a criminal offence to influence someone’s sexual orientation or gender.
‘Twelve years ago, I was a happily married, middle-aged man with a good job and three wonderful children. But something was wrong’
‘I transitioned in 2012 and underwent gender reassignment surgery four years later’
‘The Bill is a Trojan Horse, and the radical gender ideologues championing it know as much’
On the face of it, it sounds reasonable. But the truth is that the Bill is a Trojan Horse, and the radical gender ideologues championing it know as much. It goes without saying: nobody wants to see gay people bullied or brainwashed into being ‘straight’.
When, in 2018, Theresa May first mooted this legislation, her government said it wanted to end ‘abhorrent conversion practices’ including ‘gay cures’. These ranged from ‘pseudo-psychological treatments’ to surgery and even ‘corrective rape’.
Yet a number of Tory MPs voiced well-founded concerns about ‘unintended consequences’ – specifically relating to people with gender dysphoria. They worried the legislation could effectively criminalise parents, teachers, therapists and others who question a confused child’s apparent wish to transition.
If Rishi goes ahead with this ban, and a close male friend, knowing my background, were to confide in me that he too was questioning his gender, I could be legally forbidden from gently suggesting he examine his feelings. Doing so might make me a criminal.
People with gender dysphoria are vulnerable: they deserve support and to be questioned and guided through their feelings. A world where individuals’ concerns about gender dysphoria go unchecked could be one in which people – perhaps unhappy for reasons other than their gender – do not get the help they need and many take radical action they later regret. It’s too easy to make a mistake, and I’ve met too many people who regret transitioning.
I am a secondary-school teacher: young people are constantly exposed to idealised, Photoshopped images of perfect bodies. No wonder so many are deeply unhappy with their appearance.
And when trans activists such as those in Stonewall or Mermaids offer an explanation for this unhappiness, who can blame such malleable minds for falling for their propaganda? We need sensible adult voices who can talk them through their struggles.
So why is Rishi Sunak pushing this through now? I can’t believe it’s down to principle on his part. When he became Prime Minister, he appeared willing to stand up to the dogmatic trans-rights lobby. Yet now, under political pressure, he seems to have had a change of heart.
A healthy nation is one in which feelings and opinions are challenged: that’s why we have opposition parties in Parliament. Well, this ban would close the door on debate regarding gender – and I feel sick to think of the damage it will do.
If Sunak really cares about vulnerable people, he will ditch the ban immediately. The question is, does he care more about political expediency, or helping the people his office was designed to serve?
- Debbie Hayton is a teacher and journalist.
Ministers press on with conversion therapy ban
By Martin Beckford
Ministers insist they are pressing ahead with a law against conversion therapy despite campaigners and some MPs warning against it.
Parliament was told this week that the Government remains ‘committed’ to the ban – which would make it illegal to force someone to change their sexual orientation or gender identity – and that details will be published ‘very soon’.
Tory Chief Whip Simon Hart is said to have warned of a revolt if the Government failed to go ahead with it
Minister Sarah Dines said on Wednesday: ‘The Government have made it clear that conversion practices are abhorrent and have no place in our society’
Opponents, including Sir Peter Bottomley, claim the Government has not been able to define the practices it wants to outlaw nor produce evidence that conversion therapy is taking place
A long-delayed draft Bill could be included in next month’s King’s Speech after Tory Chief Whip Simon Hart is said to have warned of a revolt if the Government failed to go ahead with it.
Home Office minister Sarah Dines told a Westminster Hall debate on hate crime on Wednesday: ‘The Government have made it clear that conversion practices are abhorrent and have no place in our society. We are grateful to those who have responded to our consultation, which was very wide and well thought-out.’
Red wall Tory MP Peter Gibson said he was ‘really pleased to see we are moving forward with a ban on conversion practices – abuse by another name – of LGBT people’.
But opponents claim the Government has not been able to define the practices it wants to outlaw nor produce evidence that conversion therapy is taking place. There are also fears that the law would criminalise parents, doctors and teachers merely for talking to young people who are questioning their gender identity.
Tory backbencher Miriam Cates said: ‘I’m very concerned about the potential for unintended consequences.
‘No one has so far been able to define what ‘trans conversion therapy’ is, so what are we banning? What seems clear from other countries is that such a ban could lead to the criminalising of parents.’
Father of the House Sir Peter Bottomley told the Times: ‘Over the past three years I and others have asked a succession of ministers and their officials to name one or more of the practices they intend to criminalise which are not already criminal. There is no specific answer . . .
‘Without being specific about what you are criminalising you are putting parents at risk, you are putting other advisers and supporters of children at risk.’
Prominent women’s rights campaigner Maya Forstater said the proposal was ‘stupid and harmful’. ‘There is no evidence of abusive ‘conversion therapy’ in the UK.’
The Christian Institute’s Simon Calvert added: ‘By moving ahead with a Bill at all, the Government is wading into very dangerous territory.
‘Gay and trans people are already protected, quite rightly, from all verbal and physical abuse by existing law.’
Source: Read Full Article