Over the past decade, a wave of “conversion therapy bans” have swept the globe. Promoted as protections for LGBT-identifying youth, these bans are presented as criminalizing horrifying quackery including “electro-shock therapy” and other harmful practices. In reality, these carefully-crafted bans—which are now on the books in over twenty countries—often also criminalize counseling for those struggling with gender dysphoria or unwanted sexual attractions.
So-called conversion therapy bans are currently a hot topic once again. In the United States, LGBT activists are accusing the US Department of Health and Human Services of promoting the practice in their report exposing the dangers of “gender-affirming care,” which has already been dubbed the “American Cass Review.” In March, the US Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy.” During the recent Canadian election, a Conservative candidate was accused by the Liberals of supporting “conversion therapy.”
Jojo Ruba, a Christian apologist who runs the organization Redeeming Conversations, has been outspoken on the issue of “conversion therapy” bans for some time. On December 2, 2020, Ruba testified before the Canadian House of Commons Justice Committee on Bill C-6, Canada’s ban. He kindly agreed to answer LifeSiteNews’ questions on the LGBT movement’s growing push for these bans.
Jonathon Van Maren: How did the LGBT movement develop the tactic of all-encompassing “conversion therapy bans”?
Jojo Ruba: Banning “conversion therapy” was actually the natural result of claiming your sexual attractions or gendered feelings define the core of your identity. When you start labeling yourself “gay” or “trans,” then anyone who offers to change those feelings or behavior would be seen as someone trying to change your skin color. The idea of banning any kind of change then started within the gay community, many claiming to have endured it at the hand of churches and Christian organizations. Admittedly, there were some very nasty and harmful practices back then. Much of it had to do with the fact that society was still grappling with the nature, cause and response to those of us experiencing these sexually confusing emotions.
Naturally, when LGBTQ ideology gained political ascendancy in the mid 2000s, these practices were targeted since they were not just seen as harmful but seen as trying to erase an entire group of people.
Canada’s ban is unlike any other law in the world in its extreme position. Yet all political parties let it pass unchallenged because of fear of the political strength of the LGBTQ community and its allies in the media.
Despite the campaign to pass this and provincial and municipal laws across Canada being in place now for almost 10 years, not one person has been charged let alone jailed or fined for performing “conversion therapy” in Canada. In fact, globally, there have been very few reports of anyone being convicted under such laws. There is a court case right now of a Catholic man in Malta who himself has come out of the LGTBQ community. He is fighting a charge that he performed “conversion therapy” by encouraging others to follow his faith’s teaching on sexuality.
What do these bills actually do?
I’ve now studied over 100 laws from around the world at all levels of government, and the core of each of these laws is to protect LGBTQ people from both psychological harm based on the foundational idea that one can’t change their sexual identity. Your attractions are what you are.
Of course this idea completely ignores people like myself who choose not to act on our same-sex attractions or gender confusion and who reject the LGBTQ label. Canada in particular has bans that prevent even consenting adults like myself from getting counseling from our own pastors to “reduce” unwanted “non-heterosexual behavior.” If pastors do help “reduce” unwanted gay behavior, they could be fined or go to jail. This means my pastor can help me stop a heterosexual porn addiction but not a gay one. Even the Justice Department’s final report on the federal ban suggested this was likely a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Canada’s ban also prevents children as young as five from getting support from their parents to maintain their biological gender identity. This means a child with gender dysphoria can only get support from those encouraging a gender transition. Again, the same fines and jail time would apply to pastors, counselors and even parents attempting to help that child live according to their biological sex.
Of course, I don’t say this to encourage parents to despair. As I said, not one person has been charged under these laws and Christians shouldn’t self-censor just because these laws were passed as scare tactics. Likely, these laws have not been enforced because government lawyers know that as soon as someone is charged, we can challenge the unconstitutional nature of these laws in court – and win.
Why should Christians care about these bills?
At the heart of the gospel is a message of transformation, that God changes sinful people to forgiven children of God. He redeems every part of our lives including our sexuality.
“Conversion therapy” bans actually criminalize biblical teaching of repentance. It says that we cannot preach the message that God transforms even those with gay feelings or transgender identity to be whole in Christ, even to members of that community who want to hear that message. The passage of these laws shows how little the church truly cares about the gospel and the LGBTQ community who need to hear it.
How should we respond to these new political realities?
The reason why God has not taken the church to heaven is because we still have work to do here, including in the public sphere which the political world is a part of.
The first part of our spiritual armor according to Paul in Ephesians 6 is the shoes of prayer. Shoes are the foundation for any armor. Therefore, this kind of prayer isn’t just for vague wishes. We must earnestly seek God’s wisdom and power to prepare for the spiritual challenges we face. This includes recognizing that we are at war with the ideas and spiritual forces that keep men and women in bondage to sin. This includes both unhealthy sexual practices and the worldview that ignores God’s good commands.
As we pray, we also seek ways to begin conversations with our friends, neighbors and loved ones. Political change doesn’t happen until conversational change does. Once we are brave enough to say the tough things to those we love (and we need to say it in real love which is different from niceness), we will learn to say those same things to the secular public around us. The ideas we are combating are only able to flourish because Christians have abandoned the public arena to materialistic worldviews that reduce humanity to our desires and feelings. Christians have a better story to share – that a good God wants to have good relationships with His creation. But this relationship is broken and needs reconciliation that can only be found in Christ. That’s a story for everyone, including in the LGBTQ community.
I’ll be saying a lot more about this in my new book. Visit redeemingconversations.ca for more info on that and other ways our ministry can help.
How do you see this strategy unfolding long-term?
It’s already unfolding now. They are not just interested in shutting down ministries helping LGBTQ people who want to change their behavior but changing groups who hold a biblical view of marriage. Our ministry recently found a publicly-funded organization whose chief aim is to make all religious groups change our teachings on marriage and sexuality. It was started by the man who performed the first same-sex wedding in Canada. They have received close to a million dollars already to study churches and other groups and even compile a list of these groups that teach that marriage is only for opposite-sex couples. Their website lists ways they want to re-educate us to make us think like them, including creating education resources to change our theology.
We are entering a new era in Canada where those promoting LGBTQ ideology have no shame stating their true goal: forcing everyone to think like them or to face the consequences. Those consequences may include losing charitable status, having our church buildings shut down and public presence, such as public prayer and events, banned.
