Comments on: Margaret Court, please listen carefully

By: Dr Stuart Edser

Dr Stuart Edser — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:08:44 +0000

I am profoundly disturbed by pentecostal and other churches who associate themselves with so-called conversion therapy. From my experience as a Psychologist in Private Practice, University lecturer on sexual issues in my local medical faculty and author of a work on gay sexuality and Christian faith, I think it is high time that churches be made accountable before the law for the damage they cause people in these unnecessary, harmful, unethical and deceptive ‘treatments’. These practices run completely against the wisdom of the science and anthropology as we understand them now and the experiences of former ex-gay participants show that no-one is changed. Instead, individuals are invited to live in a shadow world of being in between – not gay, not straight and either a perpetual life of celibacy, loneliness and isolation or a closeted life-lie if indeed they do end up marrying an opposite-sex person. In 2012, we know now that you cannot ‘turn’ a gay person straight any more than you can turn a straight person gay. Sexual orientation simply does not work that way. Conversion therapy is opposed by all the principal psychology and psychiatry professional associations throughout the Western world. Here in Australia, our own Australian Psychological Society utterly rejects the effectiveness of reparative therapy and states that it has the potential to do great harm, especially to the young. Whether it’s Margaret Court, her church, or anyone else who espouses these practices, it is time they be held to account should any physical or psychological harm come to LGBT individuals as a result of their actions.

By: Nathan Thomas

Nathan Thomas — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:06:05 +0000

Great stuff. Well done for having the courage to speak out.

By: Jackie wallis

Jackie wallis — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:09:12 +0000

Beautifully written sal. See you at Pride!!

By: Sally Conning

Sally Conning — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:00:55 +0000

Sally G. Well put.
In the mid / late 60’s as a cross dressing teenager I was taken to the RCH to a psychiatrist. Over the year I have come to realize how lucky I was not having to go through the “hell” of “non working” therapy. Margaret Court; Go to Hell, ‘coz that’s where you will put people with your stupid ideas.

By: Tina Warehaus

Tina Warehaus — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:55:52 +0000

Right on Sally. Of course the stupidest thing about Margaret’s stance and others’ who feel this way is that “gender” is a line draw by society, it isn’t a line drawn in our minds. As long as society draws this line there will ALWAYS be those on either side of it, who mainstream society believes shouldn’t be there. Society, suck it up, trying to force others to conform to what your idea of what gender is, will lead to (as Sally says above) psychological harm and depression. You can’t “convert” a persons soul/spirit, all you can achieve is a form of mental brutality, which is purely and simply an attempt at brainwashing. So there!

By: Isabelle Basher

Isabelle Basher — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:52:09 +0000

Thank you for sharing this, Sally. Margaret Court should be ashamed for peddling the hurtful myth of “conversion therapy” – to say nothing of her generally bigoted attitudes as a whole.