432-00742 Justice
Tom Kmiec
Conversion therapy,Gender identity and gender expression,Sexual minorities
Petition to the House of Commons
  
    We, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:
    Whereas, conversion therapy has historically referred to coercive, degrading actions that seek to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity which are wrong and should be banned;
    Whereas, Bill C-6 defines conversion therapy as "a practice, treatment or service designed to change a person's sexual orientation to heterosexual, to change a person's gender identity or gender expression to cisgender or to repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behavior or non-cisgender gender expression";
    Whereas, this broad definition wrongly applies the label "conversion therapy" to a broad range of practices, including counsel from parents, teachers, and counsellors encouraging children to reduce sexual behavior;
    Whereas, Bill C-6 expressly allows counselling, medical, and surgical efforts to change a child's gender, but prohibits support for a child seeking to de-transition to his or her birth (cis) gender;
    Whereas, Bill C-6 could restrict the choices of LGBTQ2 Canadians concerning sexuality and gender by prohibiting access to any professional or spiritual support freely chosen to limit sexual behaviour or de-transition.
    Therefore we, the undersigned, call on the House of Commons to take the following actions to address the situation:
    1. Ban coercive, degrading practices that are designed to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity;
    2. Amend Bill C-6 to Fix the Definition of Conversion Therapy, thus banning Conversion Therapy without banning voluntary counselling or criminalizing conversations; and
    3. Allow parents to speak with their own children about sexuality and gender, and to set house rules about sex and relationships.