MP Tamati Coffey yesterday announced Labour’s intention to ban conversion therapy.  He states, “Conversion therapy is based on the misguided idea that people are wrong or broken because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This is fundamentally wrong.”

It is commonly accepted that people who identify as LGBT frequently face discrimination, harassment and higher levels of mental health issues and are at a higher risk of suicide. It is frequently assumed that this form of harassment comes from religious beliefs, especially Christianity.

What is not commonly known is that a number of people who have self-identified as LGBT have also made the choice to deny their same-sex attracted feelings to live in a manner consistent with a traditional Christian lifestyle.  

I would suggest that Mr Coffey’s proposal to ban conversion therapy will prevent others in the LGBT community from having the choice and from having access to information about these alternative lifestyles. We live in a multicultural, diverse society where freedom of belief is considered a human right.

The biblical Christian view is not that some people are morally better than others but that all are fallen and are freely accepted through Jesus. The Bible records that there were people in the early church who had turned from living a gay lifestyle and were likewise welcomed, as fallen but washed and fully forgiven people (1 Corinthians 6:11). Our bodies, their sex differences and the teleology behind them are not limitations to be rejected, but a beautiful gift from God which are meant to operate in a particular way.

Mr Coffey’s proposal seeks to limit those in the Christian community who are simply desiring to live in a way that is consistent with their own beliefs and ideals. The biblical Christian view is not to reject others who are different or do things that are morally wrong, since everyone who is Christian is by definition someone who has done wrong and needs (and has received) forgiveness. I hope that Mr Coffey will see that his proposal attacks peaceful beliefs.

I have listed seven individuals who have chosen to leave LGBT life styles and convert to a Christian ideal of holy sexuality, including pursuing deep non-sexual friendships with others. Their stories are not well known in the New Zealand mainstream media. They are individuals who are greatly respected, loved and highly valued in the Christian community. 

  1.  Dr Rosaria Butterfield

Who: A respected, tenured professor of Queer Theory at Syracuse University, Dr Butterfield lived a satisfying life in a lesbian relationship. However, as she was researching her new book on the religious right in America, she was invited to dinner at a Christian pastor’s house and during their casual conversations, found that she herself believed that Christianity told a more accurate narrative about the world. 

2.‘Dr Christopher Yuan

Who: Christopher tells his unlikely journey from an agnostic gay man in prison to an evangelical bible professor.

3.Jackie Hill Perry

Who: Jackie grew up in a fatherless household and experienced sexual abuse at a young age. Combined with school bullying and a lack of attention from boys, Jackie struggled with feeling like she should have been born a boy and pursued multiple serial relationships with women. Jackie documents her journey as she converted to Christianity in 2008.

4.Beckett Cook

Who: Beckett Cook was a successful set designer in the fashion industry in Hollywood, when one day, whilst having coffee with a friend at a local café he began chatting with a group of young people who were reading their Bibles.  They invited Beckett to visit their church, where he heard the Christian message and ‘gave his life to Jesus’, trading his gay identity for a new identity in Christ.

5.Vaughan Roberts

Vaughan Roberts is the rector of St Ebbe’s Church, Oxford, a conservative evangelical church. In his preface in the book, ‘Battles Christians Face’, Roberts acknowledged his struggles with unwanted same-sex attraction. He has chosen to remain celibate.

6.Walt Heyer

Who: Walt Heyer lived for eight years as a transgender woman before transitioning back. His experience led him to support the view that “transgender people often experience regret after transitioning”. 

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7.Rachel Gilson

Who: Rachel Gilson writes her story from being a lesbian atheist at Yale to becoming a Christian.

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