Standing up for those wanting help for their unwanted same-sex attractions:
The last instalment of the ongoing Star Wars series, The Last Jedi, was on TV last night. While I had seen it when it first hit the cinemas, I watched bits of it again last night. One theme often heard was the need for resistance fighters, for those to join the Rebellion (the good guys) to stand against and resist the Empire (the bad guys).
A group of children are talking about their old heroes, like Luke Skywalker, with one looking up to the stars. The clear message is that future films in this series will keep on coming, with some of these kids becoming future Jedi heroes. That is one way to keep a franchise going and going! And sure enough, Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker hits the cinemas next month.
But at the same time I was watching this, two different folks sent me a link to a brand new development, tying in with an article I had penned yesterday. I had written on the war against “conversion therapy” and how numerous Western governments are actually making it illegal to help those with unwanted same-sex attractions. I kid you not – see here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2019/11/23/banning-conversion-therapy-and-the-war-on-choice/
What these folks alerted me to was a brand new bunch of freedom fighters – newcomers to the rebellion. At least it was a new initiative I had not been aware of before. I refer to an international coalition who are standing against the radical homosexual and trans agendas, and defending real choice.
Last week they released an important Declaration. It seems the group has been around a few years. Their opening paragraph reads this way: “The International Federation for Therapeutic and Counselling Choice (IFTCC) has met for its 2-day 5th Annual Conference in Budapest, Hungary, concluding today 17th November 2019 with Country Representatives and attenders from 23 Nations.”
The remainder of the Declaration is worth offering here in full:
The IFTCC’s Executive and General Board will continue to declare to our governments, local authorities, human rights organisations and media institutions that everyone should have the freedom and right to walk away from sexual experiences and practices they find unfulfilling, and have support to do so. In addition, everyone should have the freedom and right to live according to their values and beliefs that bring them happiness. Further, everyone should have the freedom and right to seek to reduce sexual or gender feelings or behaviours in order to preserve their marriage and family, so that they may go on being lifetime mothers and fathers as they desire. No one should take these freedoms and rights away from them. They, not politicians or activists in mental health guilds, should make their own choices.
We therefore object to ongoing discrimination against persons formerly gay- or transgender-identified, who have, or will in the future seek professional counselling or pastoral help to assist their transition from unwanted behaviours and feelings. We repudiate the deceitful political campaign waged increasingly across mental health bodies which labels all such support for this population group as “Conversion Therapy”, and instances of “homo-trans-phobic” hate-speech–itself bullying language. We will stand with this population in our objection to ongoing discrimination, coercion and bullying against them.
Consistent attempts by LGBT activists in governments and elsewhere to conflate the fake term ‘conversion therapy’, including electro-shock and morally reprehensible aversion techniques – all administered by the world’s medical fraternities – with standard, predominantly psychodynamic, evidence-based talking-therapy explorations of fluid sexual attractions, is disingenuous. This is an unacceptable political strategy. It continues to damage those now forced to live with homosexual or transgender identities as professionals are denied the opportunity to support client-choice to leave unwanted homosexual and transgender practices. We note with interest the complete silence of LGBT activists and allies who oppose therapeutic choice, on the moral unacceptability of medical fraternities which historically endorsed the use of pornography and even prostitution to ‘help’ people with sexual problems.
The IFTCC will continue to defy political attempts that deny individuals their right to autonomy and choice in sexual expression and identity, congruent with more primary religious or philosophical beliefs. It will do so by continuing to facilitate self-regulation, professional development and collegiality in the practices of our members. Our work will continue to explore the scientific, ethical and professional literature along with evidence-based research and the best practice available to us. We will also continue to develop Practice Guidelines and the ethical framework that underpins the work of any practitioner wishing to associate with us. Seeking to do good to all, we are committed to promoting attitudes of respect, harmony and dignity towards those persons identified as LGBTIQ+.
We reject widespread media misrepresentation and disinformation which has uncritically adopted “conversion therapy” nomenclature based on the philosophical and ideological premise that sexual “orientation” is innate and immutable. We know of no mental health guilds, however radical, that say sexual “orientation” is inborn and unchangeable. Their consensus on that and definitive research have established that the development of sexual “orientation” is somewhat influenced by genes but not definitively so and mostly influenced by experience in an individual’s environment that may begin very early – like other complex human traits professional therapists help people diminish or change every day.
The IFTCC will strive to offer an alternative association point for any professional, lay person, or organisation whose confidence has been shattered, or practice interrupted by the uncritical politicisation of sexuality that many of our governments have allowed or promoted.
We warn the religious communities in our countries that proposed and enforced banning of therapeutic choice and aligned diplomatic initiatives or incentives, is aimed at deposing the freedom of parents to raise their children according to values consistent with their faith. It will curtail freedom of religion to practise and promote truth in the public space and revive a secular humanist order encouraging sexual licence, practised by the ancients across the gender boundaries and known as “pansexuality”. We call this new religious framework, “pansexual humanism”.
The IFTCC is a registered entity in Great Britain and serves an international community which supports our Mission, Value Statement and Practice Guidelines. Signed 17th November 2019, Budapest. https://d3uxejw946d7m5.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IFTCC_Postconference_Statement_2019_English.pdf?x58105
A report released by LifeSiteNews discusses the conference. It says in part:
LifeSiteNews’ staff member Scott Schittl was able to be present at this year’s conference, to listen to, and learn from, the many expert speakers who gave presentations and workshops over the three-day weekend. Several interviews, like the one with Dr. Mike Davidson, Chairman of the IFTCC, were also recorded.
One of the main themes, emerging from both the conference and the Declaration, was the pre-eminence of client choice. That is, the IFTCC believes that people should be free to leave and disavow the homosexual lifestyle. The Declaration states that the IFTCC objects to, “ongoing discrimination against persons formerly gay-or-transgender-identified, who have, or will in the future seek professional counselling or pastoral help to assist their transition from unwanted behaviors and feelings.”
Again, the IFTCC supports the freedom of people who are experiencing unwanted same-sex attraction, to seek counselling to help transition away from those attractions. The conference’s wide range of talks, discussions and practical workshops gave attendees (and, those struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction and gender identity problems) a primer into professionally sound and ethically grounded ways to approach these sensitive issues.
Speakers such as Laura Haynes, David Pickup, Robert Vazzo, Timothy Long, Denise Schick, Christl Ruth Vonholdt, Keith Vennum, and Andrea Williams led insightful practical workshops or gave inspiring personal testimonies. All conferees were agreed when it came to dispelling the notion that sensible and ethically-sound change-allowing therapies could, in any way, be conflated with so-called “conversion therapy”. The authors of the IFTCC 2019 Declaration gave special attention to this point. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/experts-group-govts-must-respect-freedomright-of-gays-wanting-to-overcome-same-sex-attraction
As the darkness gets greater in the West, it is encouraging to see various new initiatives being established to shine the light, to protect our freedoms, and to champion the best interests of individuals and society as a whole. We certainly do need many more to join the rebellion.
Will you be one of them?
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