The conversion therapy ban w/ Neill Ballantyne, Charlotte Moffat and Steph Edlin, 30 July 2021

This week, Ilena spoke with several people about conversion therapy and queerness in the Church, off the back of announcements made today solidifying the details of the conversion therapy ban legislation in NZ.

For those who might not have heard of the practise, conversion therapy is the- now widely considered- pseudoscientific practice of trying to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity to heterosexual or cisgender, using psychological, physical, or spiritual interventions. There is no clear evidence that sexual orientation can be changed, and medical institutions warn that conversion therapy practices are ineffective and harmful.

The government has pledged to ban conversion therapy by the end of the year, and announced today that they will criminalise conversion therapy with a maximum of five years imprisonment facing those who cause “serious harm”.

Ilena spoke to Neill Balantyne from Diverse Church, an LGBTQ+ affirming New Zealand church group, about the latest updates to the legislation on the conversion therapy ban.

Charlotte Moffat had some interesting things to say on growing up as a Christian and still identifying as a Christian, despite recognising, in some respects, a lack of transparency and openness towards queerness in the Church.  

Lastly, Ilena spoke with Steph Edlin, a former Head Girl of St Catherine's College and a candidate for the next Wellington City Council.