2020 Silver Key: Critical Essay Scholastic Art and Writing Competition – Southwest Region
Conversion Therapy: a Transcendentalist Argument An Open Letter to Celia Israel and the Texas House Concerning Conversion Therapy
In May of 2019, Celia Israel stood in front of the Texas House Committee for Public Health to argue against the practice of forced conversion therapy for minors. This is a transcendentalist issue because conversion therapy goes against the transcendentalist idea of self exploration. Conversion therapy, instead, is based on antiquated societal norms popularized by organized religion. While Rep. Israel is to be congratulated for her efforts, she and her colleagues in the house should also be doing more in regards to this issue.
First, a bit of background on Rep. Israel’s bill. House Bill 517, which Israel wrote and filed unsuccessfully twice before being granted a hearing, proposed imposing penalties upon state licensed therapists who try to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of minors. The bill was debated for only 38 minutes and chairwoman Senfronia Thompson limited the testimony to just four people per side (McGaughy). The bill was left pending by the committee, and is not expected to come to a vote anytime soon.
Arguments in favor of the bill included testimony by multiple medical professionals and an openly gay marketing professional from Austin, Mike Hendrix, who said that the abuse he experienced during his time in conversion therapy was so extreme that he attempted suicide multiple times as a child (Daemmrich). Rep. Israel, who is an out lesbian, framed this bill as a way to protect LGBTQ children from this type of abuse.
While Rep. Israel is to be commended for her efforts and her persistence, there is one gaping hole in the bill. It does not suggest any penalties for religious leaders who practice conversion therapy, because they are not licensed by the state. While one could argue that this exclusion is a necessary compromise in order to win the support of conservative legislators and get the bill passed as soon as possible, religious leaders cannot be exempt from accountability in the long term and shouldn’t be excluded from discussion now. Especially in cases such as this, where religious leaders are not only causing the suffering of young people directly, through conversion therapy, they are also part of a system (organized religion as a whole) which has helped make homophobia the societal norm that it is in many places today. In fact, were it not for the corrupting influences of society and organized religion, adults would likely not be inclined to interrupt their children’s search for truth with archaic practices like conversion therapy.
When thinking about the issue of religious leaders practicing conversion therapy, transcendentalists should reflect upon a quote from Young Goodman Brown in which the Devil says, “There, are all whom ye have reverenced from youth. Ye deemed them holier than yourselves, and shrank from your own sin, contrasting it with their lives of righteousness and prayerful aspirations heavenward. Yet here they are in my worshipping assembly,” (Hawthorne). In Young Goodman Brown, this quote is meant to show the hypocrisy of those “Christians” who preach about religion in order to gain influence while making others judge themselves and hate themselves for practicing some perceived “sin.” Those who associate themselves with organized religion have always been hypocritical, therefore, valuing the moral opinions of a “Christian” over the moral opinions of anyone else is a mistake.
It’s also important to unpack some of the arguments made in favor of conversion therapy at the May hearing, such as that by Jill Glover, a counselor, who, in response to the debate about conversion therapy for transgender children, said, "counselors need to be able to offer positive solutions that affirm life consistent with biology and not a false reality," (McGaughy). Who is Jill Glover to say what is a false reality? How can she claim to understand the reality of a trans person if she does not share their experience? If experience is the only way to truth, a person cannot claim to know the truth about a phenomenon they have never experienced. To put it simply, the narrow reality Jill Glover believes in is not the only truth.
Denise Seibert of Belton Texas argued that banning conversion therapy would infringe upon her religious freedoms and make raising her children as Christians into a criminal offense (Daemmrich). Based on her stance on this issue, Belton would likely use organized religion as an excuse to impede her child’s search for truth. If Belton’s child is gay, then being gay is part of that child’s truth, and discovering personal truth, if anything, brings a person closer to God. Furthermore, a person cannot raise their child to have a certain relationship with God because God cannot be taught, God can only be experienced.
Texas legislators, you must ask yourselves whether you will support laws banning all conversion therapy, thereby protecting children and upholding the ideals of individuality and truth, or whether you will be pressured by organized religion into upholding the outdated ideas of a corrupt society. Texas legislators, (and the legislators of any other state where the heinous process of conversion therapy is legal) you must do more to protect peoples’ right to self exploration and individuality. Do not be tricked by society or organized religion into thinking that queerness is wrong or against nature. On the contrary, the self exploration that allows young people to discover their sexuality or gender is a natural and holy process. Do more to protect young people on their journey to find truth.
Texan Transcendentalists, listen to the words of Walt Whitman, the gay transcendentalist writer who wrote,“I celebrate myself, and sing myself,” and allow other queer people the same freedom of self exploration and self acceptance (Whitman).
All Texas citizens, call your legislators and ask them to resume debate on banning conversion therapy and to vote in favor of such a ban. Also request that any future proposal for a ban include penalties for religious leaders who practice conversion therapy. In the 2020 elections, research candidates for the Texas House and vote for those who support a ban on conversion therapy. Wherever possible, fight for peoples’ right to live their truth.
Works Cited:
Daemmrich, Bob, “‘A Hearing Can Save a Life’: Ban on Gay Conversion Therapy Gets a Courtesy Airing”, Texas Monthly, published 5/2/19, https://www.texasmonthly.com/news/celia-israel-bill-ban-gay-conversion-therapy-texas-h ouse-hearing/ Opened 10/14/19
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, “Young Goodman Brown.” 1835. Rpt. in English 3 Reader. Comp. Jack Kaulfus. Austin, TX: Office Depot, 2019. 47-55. Print.
McGaughy, Lauren, “Ban on gay conversion therapy debated in Texas Legislature, but no vote taken”, The Dallas Morning News, Published 5/2/19, https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2019/05/02/ban-on-gay-conversion-therapy-de bated-in-texas-legislature-but-no-vote-taken/ Opened 10/14/19
Whitman, Walt, “Song of Myself.” Rpt. in English 3 Reader. Comp. Jack Kaulfus. Austin, TX: Office Depot, 2019. 63-65. Print.