New Legislation Could See Christians in Victoria Jailed for 10 Years for Attempting to Convert People

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New Legislation Could See Christians in Victoria Jailed for 10 Years for Attempting to Convert People

Some parts of the world have an even more agressive behavior pattern relative to the decline of morals in the world. This is what our friends in Australia are facing relative to the LGBT and whatever movement:

Legislation introduced in the Victorian Government today could see Christians hit with heavy fines and lengthy jail times for attempting to convert LGBTQ people to Christianity or teaching certain portions of the Bible.

According to The Guardian: “Practitioners of conversion therapy seeking to change someone’s sexuality or gender identity and found to have caused serious injury could face up to 10 years jail under the criminal sanctions proposed in the legislation. Those who try to avoid the law in Victoria by sending people to conversion therapy out of the state would also face criminal sanctions and fines to a maximum of close to $10,000.”

Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has been preaching this message for years. In 2018, the Premier said converting LGBTQ people would not be tolerated in Victoria, suggesting instead that it is the Christians who “need fixing.”

https://caldronpool.com/new-legislation-could-see-christians-in-victoria-jailed-for-10-years-for-attempting-to-convert-people/

[Gregory Matthews]

This type of legislation has been enacted into law in many places to include in some parts of the United States.

It is a misunderstanding to state that these laws prohibit the conversion of LGBTQ people to Christianity,  they do not.  In the above post, notice the phrase "conversion therapy."  This phrase references professional clinical care., as would be practiced in psychology and psychiatry.  As it relates to clinical care, it references a type of therapy that attempts to convert one from a homosexual to a heterosexual.  As professional clinical care it uses clinical terms that have standard meanings.

This is important because the word "homosexual" is often understood by common people that differs from the meaning attributed to if in clinical practice.  Common people often understand the word "homosexual" to relate to sexual practice.  With this understanding there is no such thing as a celibate homosexual, as a celibate person in no longer a homosexual.

In clinical practice homosexuality is defined by one's preference for sexual partners.  IOW, if one prefers a sexual partner of the same gender, one is  a homosexual.  If one prefers a sexual partner of a different gender, one is not a homosexual.

Clinical practice agrees that one can chose to be celibate.  But, clinical practice believes that  true sexual preference is fixed for life and can not be changed.  It also believes that attempts to change one's preference typically is harmful and dangerous.  Therefore society has often passed laws that prohibit the attempts of clinicians to change one's sexual preference.

In the spirit of openness:  As clinician, I once, in a period that lasted for  a year,  was part of a clinical team that provided clinical care to HIV Infected people.  Most of those people were adult male homosexuals.  a few were not.  Included in that group were several Seventh-day Adventist homosexuals, to include ones who were celibate.   But, all of those celibate persons considered themselves to be homosexuals.  None of them believed that they had converted to heterosexual.

Also, note, my comments above are a very brief statement of issues.  An expanded statement would have allowed me to give greater clarity to issues on which I have only made a brief comment.  One of those areas, to which I did not comment, involves differences between the LGBTQ individuals.  So, please consider my comments to be a very generalized statement.

 

 

 

[Gregory Matthews]

I clicked on the link in the opening post.  MY quote, below, is critical to understanding the proposed legislation.  In order to be convicted the following would both have to be proved:

*  That an attempt was made to change gender identity.  This is not attempting to promote a celibate lifestyle.

*   That the attempt caused serious injury.  Absent serious injury, the law would not be violated. 

 

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According to The Guardian: “Practitioners of conversion therapy seeking to change someone’s sexuality or gender identity and found to have caused serious injury could face up to 10 years jail under the criminal sanctions proposed in the legislation. Those who try to avoid the law in Victoria by sending people to conversion therapy out of the state would also face criminal sanctions and fines to a maximum of close to $10,000.”