My oral submission on the Conversion Practices Prohibition Bill

Why I believe the Bill needs to be clarified

Photo by Sulthan Auliya on Unsplash

I want to thank the committee for this opportunity to speak today. I grew up in Argentina and I’ve lived in New Zealand for thirteen years.  I have a university degree in psychology from my home country that would allow me to practice psychology in Argentina, although not here in New Zealand, and I have two young children.

I have supported many progressive changes in society such as gay marriage, legal abortion, and the End of Life Choice Bill. I also support access to medical transition for transgender adults. I believe that the stated intention of the Bill, to protect trans people and gay people, is a worthy one. 

I grew up during the military government in Argentina in the 70s, and for my entire life I’ve been told that speaking publicly about my beliefs can be very dangerous. That’s what’s on my mind as I speak in front of you today. I am glad that I now live in New Zealand, but I want you to understand that I would not be here today if I didn’t strongly believe that this bill, as it is written, could do much harm to our children and teenagers.

I believe that gender identity and gender expression should be removed from the Bill. However, if you choose to keep these terms, there are two important clarifications that must be made to the Bill.

The first clarification is to state that ‘watchful waiting’ approaches to support gender questioning children are unquestionably legal. Watchful waiting involves providing neutral and supportive psychotherapy, and delaying social transitioning, hormone treatment or other invasive medical procedures until the child is older. Organisations such as the Australian National Association of Practising Psychiatrists¹, the national advisory body in Finland, and the Karolinska Hospital in Sweden, have urged this type of approach. ‘Watchful waiting’ is not conversion therapy and it is important to clearly state this in the Bill. 

I do wonder if you have considered how the current wording of the bill will prejudice parents and mental health professionals against this approach, or what the impact might be for children with other mental health issues. 

The second clarification that is needed is to state that the Bill will not require parents to comply with socially transitioning a child. Social transition means using a name and pronouns that correspond to a gender that does not align with the biological sex of the child. This is a powerful intervention that remains highly controversial. The current evidence suggests that it has no psychological benefit for children²³, and makes medical transition more likely. Dr David Bell, former psychiatrist at the Tavistock clinic, recently said in a BBC interview, “I don’t think it’s helpful to ever call a child a trans child”. I agree with him.

Social transition closes the door for gender questioning children to grow up in harmony with their biological sex, and to accept their bodies. Studies have shown that over 80% of children with gender dysphoria will grow up to accept their biological sex if they are given the time and space to do so.

I worry about what is happening to children who are rushed into social and medical transitioning. Already, we can see increasing numbers of young people who are detransitioning. These are young adults who modify and damage their bodies, only to later come to understand their suffering was due to other mental health issues such as depression, anxiety; or maybe they struggled to accept feelings of same sex attraction; or they present with ADHD or autism⁴. These issues need to be explored before transition, not after.

If we want to help gender questioning children, then we need to ensure they have access to mental health professionals who are allowed to do their jobs and explore the cause of their suffering. This is what ethical counselling and psychotherapy does. This is not conversion therapy.

When I read this bill, I can’t help but wonder...Is it your intention that this Bill will prejudice parents and mental health professionals against using a watchful waiting approach to support gender questioning children? If that’s not your intention, I believe you have a responsibility to clarify this Bill.

Thank you for listening. 

1. Morris, P. (2021). Managing Gender Dysphoria/Incongruence in Young People: A Guide for Health Practitioners. National Association of Practising Psychiatrists. https://napp.org.au/2021/05/managing-gender-dysphoria-incongruence-in-young-people-a-guide-for-health-practitioners/

2. Sievert, E. D., Schweizer, K., Barkmann, C., Fahrenkrug, S., & Becker-Hebly, I. (2021). Not social transition status, but peer relations and family functioning predict psychological functioning in a German clinical sample of children with Gender Dysphoria. Clinical child psychology and psychiatry, 26(1), 79–95. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33081539/

3. Wong, W. I., van der Miesen, A. I., Li, T. G., MacMullin, L. N., & VanderLaan, D. P. (2019). Childhood social gender transition and psychosocial well-being: A comparison to cisgender gender-variant children. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, 7(3), 241. (Link to article).

4. Vandenbussche, E. (2021). Detransition-related needs and support: A cross-sectional online survey. Journal of Homosexuality, 1-19. (Link to article).