The bishops' submission to parliament supported the bill's aims as being in line with the Catholic Social Teaching principles of human dignity and the common good.

"Any harmful, coercive or abusive practice under any name is abhorrent to the Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ," they explained.

The Bill was passed into law on Tuesday.

During the Committee stages of the legislative process, the bishops expressed some concern about the role parents play in bringing up children.

"We would not wish to see parents and advisers to young people restricted in giving advice consistent with both moral theology and Catholic Social Teaching out of fear of being seen to be breaking the law," they said.

However, during the third reading, National's Paul Goldsmith asked specifically about whether the bill would end up inhibiting such discussions.

In response, Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi said protections in the law will ensure "open and respectful" conversations can still take place in households while covering parents who did take active steps to suppress or change their child's identity.

He also said general expressions of religious beliefs or principles about sexuality and gender will not be captured.

"This legislation is not looking to criminalise open and respectful conversations which aim to facilitate help and support where someone is wrestling with their sexuality."

The Justice Select Committee received nearly 107,000 public submissions on the legislation - the highest number ever received on a piece of legislation in New Zealand.

The law and penalties

It will be an offence to perform conversion therapy practices on a child or young person aged under 18, or on someone with impaired decision-making capacity. Such offences will be subject to up to three years in prison.

It will also be an offence to perform conversion practices on anyone - irrespective of age - where the practices have caused serious harm, and offenders can be subject to up to five years imprisonment.

The Attorney-General must sign off on prosecutions.

Survivors and victims may seek redress from the Human Rights Commission (HRC) or the Human Rights Review Tribunal (HRRT).

The bill still needs to be signed off by the Governor-General for Royal Assent and will come into force six months later.

Ongoing concerns

Family First's Bob McCoskrie warns "the law will have a chilling effect on families, freewill, and faith-based communities".

He is concerned it will criminalise certain expressions of parental love, prayer, personal choice and preaching.

Sources

• NewsHub
• FamilyFirst (supplied)
• OneNews
• NZ Catholic Bishops' Conference
• Image: RNZ

I grew up in the Exclusive Brethren - a reclusive sect that tightly controls members' lives and forbids social contact with non-members.

The Brethren were firmly anti-gay, and my first awareness of the rainbow community was in the context of the Brethren campaigning against the Civil Union Bill in 2004.

When I came out as gay to Brethren leaders in Invercargill as a teenager, they embarked on an attempt to change my sexuality. I was told to "pray away the gay", and to fight against my sexual identity.

At the recommendation of the sect's world leader, Sydney businessman Bruce Hales, I was referred to a Brethren doctor with a view to changing my sexuality.

This doctor prescribed a year's supply of cyprostat - a hormonal suppressant that shuts down the body's natural production of testosterone, more commonly prescribed for sex offenders or cancer patients.

His logic was that if my sexuality couldn't be immediately changed, then it could be suppressed altogether as a temporary fix.

It took some time for me to question what I was being told.

It's incredibly difficult to stand up against religious leaders who represent the power structure you've been born and raised within.

We were explicitly forbidden from questioning the instructions of Brethren leaders, so as a teenager it was unthinkable that I would do anything other than follow their orders.

At the age of 19, I finally stood up to the Exclusive Brethren and told them I wanted to live my life as an openly gay man.

They told me I was mentally unwell. I sought a second opinion from a local GP, who reassured me I was not mentally unwell and that my emotions were a normal and rational response to an extreme situation.

The neutral and professional guidance I received from this GP stood in stark contrast to the treatment I received at the hands of the Brethren doctor.

I was subsequently excommunicated by the Exclusive Brethren in 2009.

My parents threw me out of their home, and I was abruptly cut off by every person I knew. I lost my job, my home, my friends, and my family. This was a direct result of refusing to try and change or hide my sexuality.

Fortunately, I found broad support in Aotearoa's wider society.

Many people stepped forward to replace those I'd lost, and I've built a rich and rewarding new life.

I've gained a degree, travelled the world, and now work as a journalist - all things that would have been forbidden had I remained in the Exclusive Brethren.

Many others have made contact with me since I was excommunicated to share similar experiences.

Rainbow Kiwis continue to suffer within conservative groups like the Exclusive Brethren (since rebranded as the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church).

The Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill currently before Parliament would send a strong message that these people need to be supported rather than judged or condemned. Anyone questioning their sexuality or gender identity should be able to explore those aspects of themselves in safety. It's cruel for anyone to be put in a position where expression of identity can lead to isolation or punishment.

Many of those responsible for such harmful practices do not believe they are doing anything wrong. They believe they are fulfilling the wishes of a higher divine power, and would deny that they are engaging in conversion therapy. Instead, they couch their language in terms of "helping" members of their community.

But there is a big difference between such religious "help", and the professional guidance offered by doctors and counsellors. Continue reading

• Craig Hoyle is a news director for the Sunday Star-Times.

Although the details are not yet clear, Justice Minister Kris Faafoi has signalled his desire to pass the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill before February next year. The bill responds to Labour's election manifesto promise to ban so-called gay conversion therapy, he says.

The bill's supporters include the Salvation Army, the Green Party and the National Party.

Gay conversion therapy involves attempts to change a person's sexual orientation, despite that not being possible.

In expressing its support for the proposed new legislation, the Salvation Army says it "continues to oppose vilification of, or discrimination against, anyone on the grounds of sexuality or gender. This includes attempts to change another person's sexual orientation or gender identity, and any actions which deny a person's sexual orientation or gender identity."

Speaking about his bill, Faafoi said: "This bill isn't about criminalising people. It is about making sure we prevent harm that is happening as a result of these conversion practices."

But asked on Newstalk ZB whether parents could be jailed if they stopped their 12-year-old children from taking hormone-blockers, Faafoi said anyone intentionally changing or suppressing someone's gender identity or sexual orientation could be breaking the law.

At the same time, there would be a "long line" to walk before reaching a criminal offence, he added.

At present, the legal age of consent for hormone treatment is 16.

Radio New Zealand (RNZ) says it understands it will be made an offence to run a conversion therapy practice. Encouraging someone to go to therapy with the intention of changing their sexual identity will also become illegal.

Advising someone to seek religious, medical or mental health support in regards to their sexual orientation, however, will remain legal.

In a statement, the Salvation Army said "Christians are called to be like God and therefore to be living examples of his love in action in the world. ...

"We are told to "Accept one another… just as Christ accepted [us]" (Romans 15.7a), and to be "sympathetic, love one another, [and] be compassionate and humble" in our dealings with others (1 Peter 3.8). We are instructed to clothe ourselves "with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience… And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (Colossians 3.12,14).

"The Salvation Army recognises the emotional, psychological, social and spiritual harms that these practices have caused and stands against their use in every circumstance."

Source

• NZ Herald
• Scoop
• RNZ
• Scoop
• Image: Gifsicle

"It makes me want to cry. It makes me feel seen, like I'm not just making shit up." That's how Anna, who underwent conversion therapy as a young adult, describes the news that Labour will ban the controversial practice if re-elected.

Conversion therapy is a pseudoscientific technique that attempts to change or suppress someone's sexual orientation or gender identity through shaming, emotional manipulation and/or physical trauma so victims associate pain and discomfort with their queer identity.

The practice is primarily used within religious communities and has been linked to severe mental health issues, including depression and suicidal ideation.

It has already been banned in Queensland, Madrid and Ontario, and specifically for minors in Germany, Ecuador and Brazil.

National leader Judith Collins also opposes conversion therapy.

"I'm a parent and I have said to my son, and I hope other parents would also say this, ‘Just be who you are!'

That's unconditional love … Not trying to convert your child to anything else," she told Gay Express.

Still, the party has no policy on conversion therapy - or any rainbow policies.

Along with Labour, the Greens, the Maori Party and The Opportunities Party have voiced support for a conversion therapy ban.

A ban would make it in an offence for people, entities, or organisations to offer, advertise or perform conversion therapy on another person.

This includes performing conversion therapy as a professional, such as health practitioner, teacher or social worker. It would also make it an offence to knowingly remove a person from New Zealand for the purposes of conversion therapy.

So what does this damaging practice look like in New Zealand? Anna, who grew up in a tight-knit church community in Hamilton, talked to The Spinoff about what the experience was like for her.

What was it like learning about your sexuality?

I always knew I was attracted to women. But I didn't think it meant anything. It was only when I was around 18 years old, that someone I had a crush on had a crush on me back! I was like "woah, I'm not straight", and it's been a fucking whirlwind since then.

What kind of experiences did you have with the church?

When I was about 16, our youth pastor sat down and had a chat with us about homosexuality.

She said, "you might feel like you've got some feelings for your friends who are the same sex as you, but it's just a phase because you're going through puberty".

I remember arguing with her: "But my cousin's gay, and she's old. So it can't be puberty".

Our pastor also always told us that her husband was never her type, but one day she looked at him, and thought "wow I'm kinda attracted to him."

So I questioned her, what's the difference?

I asked because it didn't make logical sense to me.

A lot of people were homophobic behind each others' backs in the church.

I used to live in this house of church leadership and someone who was a lesbian had found us on this Christian flatmate website and came and viewed the flat.

After she left, everyone was like "ew no, what if I want to shower and walk around in my towel?"

After that, we had a church dinner at someone's house and it just went on and on, them expressing their disgust.

At that point, I was out to myself.

That's a lot to take in. You mentioned that you came out of the closet and then went back in. What happened?

When I first came out, I had people picking me up from my house to take me to prayer circles.

It was confusing because they were telling me to go to the healers because I was hurt.

But I was hurt because I was having moral conflicts - they thought I was hurt because I had fucking demons inside of me.

I cared about these people a lot and so I'd go with them. I felt pretty coerced into it.

What else was I going to do with these people showing up at my house?

Everything felt overwhelming so I moved to a new town.

But the only way I knew how to make friends was through church. So I went back to church and I went back into the closet because I wasn't going to be able to make friends otherwise.

A lot of people, think of conversion therapy as structured camps. But for you, it was people you loved and cared about turning up at your doorstep.

Absolutely.

The second time I came out, I was still living in that church leadership house.

I had these people I thought were going to be my bridesmaids telling me to watch videos of Sy Rogers. He was someone who used to preach about being an ex-gay Christian and so they'd send me these links.

Or I'd get home and [his videos] would just be on the TV because "if you really loved us, you'd just sit down and watch it".

Sy Rogers would say: "I'm married with a wife now and kids, but I still have to be careful when looking at men so I'm not tempted."

Well you're still gay then, aren't you?

I just couldn't take it seriously.

You're still gay, you've just dragged your wife and kids into it.

I had people doing prayer, sending me bible verses every day.

People telling me they couldn't be my friend anymore, and threatening to leave the church if I didn't leave.

I have the misfortune of being friends with people who've been exposed as being paid conversion therapists.

Sometimes I still feel funny talking about conversion therapy because it doesn't look like me sitting in a therapist's office going through that. It looks like pastors taking me out for coffee. Continue reading