By WDI Declaration signatory @JaneWitchWoman
On August 16, 2022, Governor Wolf signed an Executive Order to “protect LGBTQIA+ Pennsylvanians from conversion therapy.” If, like me, you are an open-minded, accepting, compassionate person who believes that conversion therapy to change the sexual orientation of gay, lesbian and bisexual people should never be used, that sounds great, doesn’t it? We have heard the horror stories of gay and lesbian young people subjected to “conversion therapy” involving the use of electric shocks or other painful stimuli as images of gay sex flashed before them. This form of conversion therapy was horrific, ineffective, and motivated by homophobia, often rationalized by religious belief. It has thankfully become extremely rare and does not warrant an “executive order” to abolish it.
The irony of the modern definition of “conversion therapy” is that it is primarily designated for those who fall under the “TQ” part of “LGBTQIA+” rather than “LGB” and is actually based in homophobia. I understand your skepticism. As recently as 2020, this was very new information for me, as the left-leaning media doesn’t cover it and the right-leaning media still tends to be tragically homophobic. This ban on “conversion therapy” is targeting “trans” children and young people. It is intended to promote the “affirmation only” model of psychotherapy and discourage, if not outright prohibit, exploration of why a child or young adult may be experiencing “gender dysphoria”. As a therapist, I find this chilling. I know that I will have to find ways to work around it in order to truly help any “TQ” clients who come to me.
The “affirmation only” model dictates that if a client tells me that his pronouns are “she/her” or “they/them,” I am required to “respect” that. As soon as I ask the question, “What made you decide to identify as transgender?” I am in dangerous territory. According to gender ideology dogma, being “transgender” is no more a choice than sexual orientation. If I ask, “When did you realize that you aren’t really male?” I will naturally be expected to congratulate my client on his brilliant insight, even if his answer is, “My parents told me that if I wanted to dress like a princess, I must really be a girl, and I really wanted to dress like a princess, so now I know I’m a girl.” If I say, “Boys can dress like princesses too!” I could be putting my employment in jeopardy. That could happen now, even without the Executive Order, but as laws and policies are changed in response to the Order, the pressure to “affirm” rather than question “gender identity” will grow.
The vast majority of gender non-conforming children and adolescents grow up to be gay, lesbian, and bisexual adults. Insisting that they are not “really” a member of their biological sex is classic homophobia. How many little boys are taunted with, “You’re crying like a girl! What are you, gay?” How many little girls resist dresses and want to play like the boys do, only to be told by their conservative, traditional parents that they aren’t being “lady-like?” More than ever, toys in the store are separated by gendered expectations–dolls for girls, cars for boys. I played with Hot Wheels as a little girl and won an arm wrestling contest against the strongest boy in my 6th grade class. I was gender non-conforming, but I was never a boy. Thankfully, adults didn’t ask me if I wanted to change my name or pronouns, and never suggested that I was anything other than a girl.
If only it stopped at a new name and pronouns, this Executive Order wouldn’t be so sinister, but it specifically mentions “transgender healthcare,” indicating that doctors must also practice the “affirmation only” model without question. A doctor could lose her ability to practice if she asked a parent, “What made you think that your daughter is actually your son?” instead of, “How did you know that your daughter is actually your son?” If told that she wanted to play with trucks and didn’t like wearing dresses, the doctor must naturally congratulate the parent on being so observant. The doctor must not say, “But little girls can play with trucks and wear pants, too.” The doctor must also recommend puberty blockers, despite the fact that these are known to cause permanent, negative health effects. If the doctor is a true believer, she will likely take the lead and ask the parent, “Do you want a live son or a dead daughter?” True believers in “gender identity” ideology spout the bogus statistic of a 40% suicide rate for “trans” people, but make it sound more like 100% of “trans” children commit suicide if not socially and medically “transitioned.” This hideous form of emotional manipulation, this monstrous, medically-assisted child abuse, is going to become the law of the land unless we fight and win against it.
Governor Wolf has signed an executive Order that promotes a new, sinister, homophobic version of “conversion therapy.” Gender non-conforming children and adolescents are wrongly “assigned sex at birth” and must be socially and medically “transitioned” to the opposite sex (or no sex) rather than grow up into gay, lesbian or bisexual adults. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual people are opposing this and all citizens of Pennsylvania should as well, but you should know that this is only the beginning. Those who pushed Governor Wolf to sign this order are trying to get similar orders signed in every state in the USA.
Please call/email/tweet/write to the governor of your State, Republican or Democrat, and demand that this go no further than Pennsylvania. We will do our best to fight its implementation here. No one should be subjected to conversion therapy to change their sexual orientation OR their sex, especially because both are impossible.
Find the author on Twitter at: @JaneWitchWoman
