Big win for Rainbow community as NZ bans conversion therapy

It is a tremendous win for everyone in the LGBTQ+ community here in Aotearoa.

On the evening of 15 February 2022, in an almost unanimous decision, the New Zealand Parliament passed a law banning conversion therapy.

The new law makes “the attempt of changing or suppressing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity through harmful therapy practices” a criminal offence. The law also states that in cases where serious harm is caused, offenders can be subject to up to five years in prison.

Conversion therapy is the practice of attempting to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity through psychological, physical and even spiritual interventions. This may include hypnosis, talk therapy, fasting, electric shock and, in extreme cases, exorcisms and "corrective rapes".

Indian Weekender spoke to some members of the LGBTQ+ community for their reactions on the passing of this bill.

Shaneel Lal, founder of the Conversion Therapy Action Group that had worked to ban conversion therapy in NZ also governs Rainbow Youth, Auckland Pride Festival and Adhikaar Aotearoa, and wears many more hats in the community. They are a Law and Psychology student at the University of Auckland and of Fiji Indian heritage.

We also talked to Shay Singh, Founder and Chair of Indian Origin Pride New Zealand (IOPNZ), the first organisation in New Zealand established for the rainbow Indian community.

What are their thoughts on Conversion Therapy?

Shaneel Lal: “Conversion therapy is any practice that seeks to change, suppress, or eliminate someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Frankly, conversion therapy is junk science. It isn’t therapy at all. It is torture."

They told us the story of Joan Bellingham, who, “grew up wanting to be a nurse, but when the word got out that she was a lesbian, she was taken to the Princess Margaret Hospital, not as a nurse but as a patient. Joan was falsely diagnosed with a ‘neurotic personality disorder’ and tormented with over 200 electric shocks. Joan said the headaches made her want to die and the shocks felt like razor blades going through her body. She’s 69 years old now, still a lesbian, but she says she ended up hating herself."

They also told us about an undercover TVNZ Sunday investigation that had found one medical professional saying “same-sex attraction can absolutely be changed.”

“Jay” went undercover as a young Christian gay man and was referred to Living Wisdom, a Nelson-based counselling service. Jay was given a set of sayings to memorise twice a day, to help rewire his brain.

“Some use aversion therapy, which includes snapping oneself with a rubber band, having an ice-cold shower or inflicting pain on yourself every time you feel or think “queerly”. The goal is to associate queer thoughts with pain and suffering."

Shay Singh: “I think it’s inhuman and impinges on our basic human rights. It has, and continues to cause a great deal of harm to individuals which has led to lifetime impact on people’s mental well-being.”

What have been the arguments in favour of conversion therapy all these years?

Shaneel Lal: “Conversion Therapy is a religious right.

"People won’t come out and say, ‘I am homophobic’, so they are forced to look for ridiculous arguments like homosexuality is a sin or that traditionally marriage was between a man and a woman. Well, traditionally, voting was between white men and the government.

"Things have changed, and so should we.

"As a former churchgoer, I am familiar with these statements. They often start with showing pretend support for the queer community before launching into an attack on our existence. This presents them as reasonable people rather than who they are: religious bigots.

"Conversion practice is bigotry. Religious leaders have weaponised the relationship queer people have with God and manipulated us into thinking God will hate us if we don’t change.

"A study by the Family Acceptance Project, a US-based initiative that helps families support their LGBTQ children, found that rates of attempted suicide were more than twice as high among LGBT youth who had been subjected to conversion practices. Medical bodies in Aotearoa and worldwide have declared conversion practices ineffective, unethical and harmful."

Shay Singh: “I feel that is largely driven from religious, cultural and/or moral perspectives and is also exacerbated by parents' misguided belief that they are protecting their children from harm, when the fact is that they are causing more harm.”

Would they be willing to share some of their experiences?

Shaneel Lal: “In the summer of 2017, I was volunteering at Middlemore Hospital when a priest walked up to me and offered to ‘pray my gay away’. I refused. So, he looked at me and he said ‘It’s hot, but you know what’s hotter? Hell.’ At the age of 17 going to hell was terrifying, but at 22, going to hell makes perfect sense with my fantasy. If all queer people are going to hell, then that’s where I want to be."

Shay Singh: Shay hadn’t faced any personal experience with conversion therapy, but he did tell us about people who have experienced it.

“It takes a lot of courage for them to stand up for themselves and believe in themselves as they were told to erase a critical part of who they are and their identity. Fear, shame, guilt, isolation are the words that typically come up when one speaks of their experience.”

What are their thoughts on the New Zealand banning conversion therapy?

Shaneel Lal: "Queer people who came before me fought to make the world a better place for me. I fight to make the world a better place for the generations of queer people who will come after me. The ban on conversion therapy is a gift to future generations of queer people. Young queer people have been sent the message that they are not broken, and they do not need to be fixed.

"Banning conversion therapy is a milestone for NZ, but that is not the destination. We must stop the erasure of queer people in all parts of the world. Religious extremists may argue this is the end of the world, but I can assure them that this is only the beginning."

Shay Singh: “I have seen the impact of this cruel practice on our community, so it could not come fast enough for me. The passing of the legislation is just the beginning and there is a lot of healing to be done. For some, the healing may never happen; however, I am happy that there is a law now to protect the rainbow community from this form of erasure. It is up to the communities now to make sure that this practice is stamped out.”