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Blog by Augustin Hamilton (Campaign Life Coalition) — WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobe Stock

An article in the Métro newspaper tells us that reporters from the rag have been introducing themselves to Protestant churches as people uncomfortable with their "sexual orientation" and seeking a solution to it, in order to find out if they offer "conversion therapies" — illegal in Canada, and more so in Quebec.

According to Métro:

Some churches are offering conversion therapies for LGBTQ+ people in Montreal, a year after Canada passed a law banning them. Journalists from Métro investigated these churches claiming to want to change their sexual orientation and obtained one of these therapies, which is similar to an exorcism.

Note that said journalists did not hesitate to lie to flush out the purveyors of "conversion therapies," but that the Métro article does not hesitate to point out that these churches denied providing "therapies" when openly questioned by the newspaper. Oh, while we're at it, can you tell me when reporters stop lying so I know if they're telling the truth in their article?

But what is "conversion therapy"? "Conversion therapy" is the term used in Canada's Bill C-4 and Quebec's Bill 70 to refer to any attempt to change or repress a person's "sexual orientation", "gender identity" or "gender expression". However, both laws agree to prohibit only "conversion therapies" aimed at "changing a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression or repressing non-heterosexual sexual behaviour," to quote the Quebec law. So why not prohibit "therapies" that are intended to make a person homosexual? The "therapies" that the Métro spies went through consisted of prayers from the pastor of the church they were seeking, and some advice.

One of the reporters (still under the mask of a lie...) contacted a pastor, claiming he wanted to help his younger brother get over his "sexual orientation," leading Pastor Karl DeSouza to reveal that he would know of support groups for such a person, according to Métro :

The pastor offered to put the young man in touch with support groups located in various places in Canada, including some in Montreal. These groups would be made up of "Christian brothers and sisters" who are "struggling with homosexuality" and who could testify about how they are "overcoming it."

"You are not alone," he assured him. "Once I make contact with these people, they will put me in the network where they will give me other contacts."

In fact, one wonders what the intentions of the journalists who conducted this investigation are. A recent article in Le Devoir points out that there have been no complaints of "conversion therapy" since the Canadian law came into effect:

The federal Department of Justice says that one year after the ban on conversion therapy in Canada came into effect, it has not been informed of any criminal charges laid for offering the service.

If there have been no complaints about "conversion therapy" and there are people who are using it anyway, it may be because no one has complained about it... Perhaps this means that "therapy" is not as bad as it seems. So is Métro conducting this investigation to convict someone and intimidate others?

In another article in the Métro newspaper, we learn that the organization Ta Vie Ton Choix, which offers help in overcoming same-sex attraction, is still offering the same services, but from the United States, since the entity has been dissolved in Quebec. The group Ta Vie Ton Choix was directed by Michel Lizotte, who also produced documentaries on the subject.

A journalist from Métro (always under the cover of a lie) contacted Ta Vie Ton Choix’s website:

A Google search leads to its site, where they offer to connect anyone who wants to "overcome homosexual thoughts, attractions or behaviors from which [they] wish to be free" with a therapist. Different services are offered, such as workshops or support groups.

Under a false identity, in order to verify if Ta Vie Ton Choix was still active, Métro posed as a young gay man wanting to change his sexual orientation and asking for support from a therapist.

The reporter, therefore, got a response from psychotherapist Robert L. Vazzo :

The very next day, an e-mail was received at the address used to contact the site. It was from a Nevada psychotherapist named Robert L. Vazzo. He begins the exchange with a warm greeting, "Welcome to the United States and thank you for your email!"

At the outset, Mr. Vazzo states that the therapy he offers is not "conversion therapy" and that he "will not seek to change you." He writes that "in the past, psychotherapists have tried to change the sexual orientation of their clients and [that] this has often ended badly for the client in terms of [their] self-esteem."

Robert L. Vazzo can be found in the online directory of "Christian Therapists". His profile reads, "If you are dealing with more specialized issues such as personal identity, sexual orientation, pornography, fetishes and/or sexual addiction, you have definitely found your therapist."

This reporter is trying to convince Mr. Vazzo of lying, because in a document sent to him by Mr. Vazzo, explaining what his therapy consisted of, he claims to point out a contradiction between Mr. Vazzo's first email where Mr. Vazzo stated that he did not change the patient's "sexual orientation", and the second email where he states that his treatments are "focused on the patient's goal of decreasing homosexual attractions and increasing heterosexual reactivity" :

In this document, he outlines the form that the therapy will take. This is where it differs from the first e-mail, in which he distanced himself from conversion therapies.

His treatments, he explains, are "focused on the patient's goal of decreasing homosexual attractions and increasing heterosexual responsiveness.

But, if I may ask, where is the contradiction between not changing a person's "sexual orientation" and helping him or her to decrease homosexual attractions and increase heterosexual ones? A "change" in this case would be to completely eradicate same-sex attractions, which Mr. Vazzo does not claim to be capable of, again according to the same Metro article:

"While most clients experience some benefits, they generally find that growing into heterosexuality is an ongoing, lifelong process, it states. It is also important to be aware that for most people, some homosexual attractions may remain. Similarly, some clients have reported periods of asexuality and bisexuality."

Returning to the tyrannical laws of Canada and Quebec, they prohibit, even for adults, providing a service to anyone to help them shed same-sex attractions or opposite-sex identification — and even if the person concerned requests it!

So, in the country where it is allowed to smoke pot, to engage in promiscuity (although the fact that people use contraception and abortion, and that both are promoted as necessary, may at least indicate that this is not healthy), or to have an euthanasia or an abortion until the last minute of pregnancy, it is forbidden, on the grounds that it would be harmful, to seek help from people who think that homosexuality is a bad thing.

Otherwise, the law does not prohibit seeking help to understand one's feelings and to discover or affirm one's sexual orientation or gender identity, according to éducaloi :

A person who is questioning his or her sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression may want to seek help and support. In fact, it is perfectly normal.

There are resources available to help the person understand what they are feeling and to support them in their personal development, without judgment or pressure. This type of support can be beneficial and is perfectly legal.

Similarly, medical treatment, surgery and the necessary and appropriate support for gender transition is also legal (sic).

But if there is no "judgement", in other words: if the people one is going to consult have no idea about the goodness or badness of a particular trait, why consult them? How can one know oneself better with such "help"?

Second, it is assumed that trying to change is bad:

A person seeking help may fall victim to practices, treatments, or services that are designed to change or repress who they are rather than help them to better know and accept themselves. This could be conversion therapy.

What amazes me about these laws passed by the champions of "My-body-my-choice" is that they refuse to give this choice to people who want to change, or more precisely who want to follow their will and not their impulses or weaknesses. Because, after all, is feeling attraction for the same sex as much a part of oneself as one’s will? As well as my tendency to laziness which is opposed to my will? Is it not commendable to "change" oneself and to make efforts in order not to be lazy anymore? Similarly, I don't see how following a tendency independent of the will rather than one's will would lead one to be more "self"...