The American Heritage Dictionary defines Conversion as: 1. The act of converting and 2. The state of being converted. The third definition has to do with converting your religion, which is not part of this article. After the Supreme Court ruling on Chiles v. Salazar this last week, national organizations – politically liberal – for therapists are up in arms concerned about therapists “rights” even though they ruled in our favor. But it really depends on what side of the fence you are on politically as to whether it was in therapists favor or not. And, in respect to the term conversion, it is interesting that Colorado and 20 other states ban “conversion therapy,” but only if you are a conservative focused on children’s rights. It is perfectly okay to convert a child into changing their gender in these states (presumably if they all have similar wording to Colorado’s), but not okay to bring some balance to their childhood delusions especially when you are telling the therapist you are confused and need to talk it out (Kayley Chile’s Story). “Children in Colorado can be counseled toward dangerous drugs and surgeries—but not the reverse.” Quote from Kayley’s story.

When you type in conversion therapy, you will get a host of different definitions, none of them speaking to the current wave of politically left leaning surgeries and drugs that school teachers, CPS (Children’s Protective Services), doctors (for financial gain) and naturally children’s hospitals around the country have been pushing on children since around the time of the pandemic (and prior I would assume considering these laws have been around for awhile). We seem to hear about more since the pandemic.

Historically, conversion therapies meant: techniques that may include talk therapy, aversion therapy, and even extreme measures like chemical or surgical castration. I don’t think anyone still uses the latter extreme measures, but it is ironic that it is politically correct to use dangerous drugs and surgeries to impose gender switching on children. Children who’s bodies are not fully developed, let alone their brains which do not fully form until they are in their mid-20’s. Thus, it is harmful to impose any type of harm (drugs, chemicals, or surgery) on a child’s body whether it is to switch their gender or to stop them from wanting to switch their gender. I don’t even agree with using psychotropic medication on children as I believe talk therapy through (play, sand play or sand tray) is much more suitable for working through children’s issues and not over diagnosing ADHD/ADD. This is because medication is generally not tested on children. School teachers have a propensity for getting out of their lane and recommend medication, as do group home staff (with foster children) and foster parents.

There is a reason why we don’t diagnose personality disorders in children. This is because, as psychotherapists, we know that they all suffer from identity crises in puberty toward young adulthood. Having worked with foster children and children in my practice (early on), it is easy to want to make a case for this if you are too lazy to explore the bigger picture. The same can be said for confusion about gender and confusion about being gay or straight.

Gay people I have worked with have told me they were as young as four when they “knew” they liked the same sex. I often wonder about this since they didn’t know at this age what sex was and if maybe they were recalling an attachment to someone and later realized what this meant. Therefore, “knowing” at 4 is different than recalling an experience years later. I also see a large amount of sexual abuse attached to gay and lesbian people. It doesn’t mean they were all sexually abused, but it means that it is interesting that there is a large percentage of this. And, it also doesn’t mean if you were sexually abused that you will be gay or lesbian, just to clarify. However, being sexually abused by the same sex, causes the victim to question their identity. So, this is a big picture, not a narrow mindset that you would want to jump to conclusions. It is also the reason we should allow a child to grow up and become an adult before allowing them to make such a huge life changing decision.

Therefore, when I read Kayley Chile’s story, I am inclined to agree with what she was doing. I am a critical thinker rather than jumping on a bandwagon. I think it is important not to “side” with politics or groups, but to focus on all the angles.

The Supreme Court ruling was solely on talk therapy and nothing else. With an 8-1 ruling, it was unanimously agreed to. Imagine if they had not agreed? This would mean talk therapy would be under so much speculation and more laws could be passed, based on political beliefs and whatever is fashionable at the time. We already have ethics and laws to keep us in line. Since this banning conversion therapy was created when harmful things were done by conservative therapists – in the past, now it is liberal therapists, and others already mentioned here that are wide open to convert children in a way they deem helpful. They have even gone so far to make people believe children are killing themselves if they don’t get to be a different gender. Sounds more like a temper tantrum and bad parenting to me.

I am against the LGBTQ community purposely filing lawsuits against Christian businesses anyway (i.e., bakeries and bed and breakfasts specifically) just because their values don’t align. It is absurd to purposely go to a Christian baker or inn owner, who has been very brand conscious in exposing their values and then want to file a lawsuit because they don’t want to bake a gay cake or have same sex partners sleeping in their inn. I am not Christian or gay, but I carefully choose where I spend the night and get my cake baked based on the website and whether I am comfortable with what they have to say. That is common sense. Why would a gay couple want to force a Christian baker to bake their cake and not think this is going to bring bad karma to their wedding? My boyfriend always tells me not to complain at a restaurant over the food as he is afraid they will spit on it when they re-cook it.

At the same time, why would someone purposely choose Kayley Chile, a Christian counselor, unless they want to discuss their Christian concerns about gender switching or even being gay? If they are having a discussion and she is coming from a space of being a psychotherapist and supporting the client’s process in a way that is not harmful or not expecting them to use chemicals, drugs, surgery, why the alarm? Why did she have to go all the way to the Supreme Court?

Is the LGBTQ community that desperate for members that suddenly the rise in gender switching is occurring for the first time ever? I was 60 years old the first time I walked into my gym’s locker room and saw a male standing there in front of me. My last time to swim at this gym until the law’s were changed in Ohio and are about to be changed even more so according to a new bill being considered currently. I have never had a problem with the LGBTQ community until they began pushing children to change and advocating for this is classrooms, on school trips, in bathrooms/locker rooms, etc… This is not okay. Even pride is not attended by many gay families anymore (that I have spoken to) due to the lack of being family friendly and the extreme sexualization. What was once an educational event, has now become pornographic exploitation on public streets.

In my day, people were modest and private and respectful of others. Not all gay men have sex – as I have spoken to several in my practice. This is not fear of coming out, as they are, there are other reasons. They don’t all want to get married and have children. They aren’t all fashion gurus. Not all gays or lesbians even refrain from being Catholic, as one might assume. And, they don’t all feel comfortable heading to the nearest LGBTQ headquarters either. So much has changed politically that people feel put off.

What was fought for in the Stonewall riots was the freedom to be gay, not the freedom to shove it down societies throats and force it upon young children. Some gays are families and have children too. It was about adults, not about children (though protecting the rights of children when they are coming out).

Gender switching with children is not that much different to FGM (female genital mutilation) which is also a harmful practice utilized in villages in Africa and probably has occurred in the US, otherwise this warning wouldn’t be posted on a federal website. And yet, while FGM is a huge banner to stand under in the liberal community, they continue to get excited about gender switching and using harmful drugs and surgery on young children. FGM is illegal in the U.S., yet, so far harming young children to switch their gender is still trying to stay relevant and legal.

Detransition is now becoming a hot topic as well. This study from 2023 explains more from the National Library of Medicine.

So, which side of the fence are you on? I hope this article will help you to see that there are two ways of looking at this and that Conversion Therapy is converting children whether it is for gender switching or in some previous cases against gender switching. Using harmful drugs, chemicals, or surgery to stop the person from converting or to allow the person to convert are both wrong. If conversion is “talk therapy,” as the Supreme Court ruled recently, “In a monumental decision Tuesday for free speech, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that counseling conversations are speech and that states cannot silence viewpoints in the counseling room.” Article written by the attorney’s through the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Leave these children alone. School is for an education to prepare one for college or getting a job one day. It is not abusive because parents values are not in alignment with gender switching or sending their child to a gay aligned therapist. It is abusive when parents are forcing this on their child, and this really needs to be looked at. A baby is not born in the wrong body and a child should not be considering changing their gender – period. We need to put on our critical thinking caps and consider what is really in the best interests of a child. A child who’s body and brain do not fully develop until they are of an adult age.