Caroline ffiske was a Conservative Councillor for Eight Years. Published on 9 March 2021.

There is pressure on MPs to ban 'conversion therapy'. The BBC reports that 'MPs from across the political spectrum' have called for the practice to be made illegal. This followed a Westminster debate on Monday evening that was triggered by a successful petition calling for the practice to be banned.

However, naive politicians need to be aware of a catch. The catch is the conflation of sexual orientation and gender identity. Last year, James Kirkup, writing in The Spectator, brought to public awareness, a document that is a 'toolkit' for trans activists - and which provides guidance on how to get their agenda sneaked into law and policy, under the radar of the democratic process. Kirkup wrote: 'One of the most mystifying aspects is the speed and success of a small number of small [trans] organisations in achieving major influence over public bodies, politicians and officials. How has a certain idea taken hold in so many places so swiftly?' The trans toolkit explains how. One piece of advice it gives is to 'Tie your campaign to more popular reform'. This provides a 'veil of protection'. This is particularly important when you are dealing with a 'more difficult issue to win public support for'. In other words, the toolkit provides advice on how to undermine the democratic process.

This is exactly what is happening in the current 'conversion therapy' debate. The term 'conversion therapy' is understood by the public to refer to practices that seek to change people's sexual preferences. Such practices are widely regarded as abhorrent (though people should be free to talk to friends, families, therapists, doctors, about whatever they wish.) A ban on such practices is indeed likely to have wide popular support. So, 'trans toolkit' to hand, the activists have got going to 'tie their campaign to more popular reform'. With cavalier audacity, the meaning of a term has been changed - and with what rapid success. Our BBC leads the charge. It announces to the British public: '"Conversion therapy" refers to any form of treatment or psychotherapy which aims to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity'. The BBC even tried to imply that the government is already on board with the new extended definition. It published, then removed (!) this statement: 'the government said in July that it wanted to ban attempts to suppress an individual's gender identity or sexual orientation". Absolute nonsense, of course. Go back and look at what Boris Johnson said in July and he referred specifically to 'gay conversion therapy'.

The trouble is that the Conservatives have been spectacularly naive in the debate about gender ideology and have been well 'played' by the trans lobby for the past decade. Stonewall, which promotes the idea that 'trans woman are woman' (no ifs, no buts, no caveats) is paid (by all of us via our taxes) to push this ideology into practically every public body in the country, via its Diversity Champions programme. We should not be surprised therefore when such a notion emerges in public policy - for example, the Ministry of Justice allowing violent male sex offenders who 'identify as women' into women's prisons. 

Coming back to conversion therapy, already too many young people are being sucked into the notion that they will be better off if they align their body with an inner 'true self'; they will indeed be considered stunning and brave. Never mind that they may end up injecting cross-sex hormones, on a conveyor belt to having their breasts or penises removed, possibly rendered sterile and without sexual function, and unknown other health complications... A young man who has his penis removed, and a 'hole' created, will need to dilate the hole (stick something in it to keep it open)... for life. 

The idea from the gender ideology lobby is that we criminalise anyone trying to persuade young people away from this tragic path. 

As the conversion therapy issue makes its way through the policy-making process, all of us have a responsibility to watch, listen, and get involved. There can be no 'veil of protection' over this one.