The Government appears determined to press ahead with a sweeping ban on so‑called ‘conversion therapy’ (The Guardian). Such a wide‑ranging measure should chill anyone who upholds lifelong, man‑woman marriage as the gold standard for family life. To understand why such a law harms free speech and, more importantly, the very people it claims to protect, I spoke with Andrew Rodriguez, a licensed professional counsellor from Pennsylvania who trains other counsellors in reintegrative trauma care. Watch the full interview here.
Far from safeguarding vulnerable people, a blanket ban would instead withhold the very help many actively seek.
Rodriguez explains how similar bans in parts of the United States silence legitimate therapy: “activists have wiped out the competition so that the only approach that's really approved is the state‑sponsored approach of affirmation only”. He notes the chilling effect on clients who simply wish to address unwanted feelings in line with their own goals.
He stresses that “good therapy … is helping people gain insight and healing”. Reintegrative therapy explores underlying trauma, anxiety or unmet needs; changes in attraction follow only if clients want them. This client‑led focus, he argues, is the very opposite of coercion.
Rodriguez rejects modern identity labels: “there is no such thing as a sexual orientation”. He says true sexual identity rests on biological sex, and that marriage — a lifelong, monogamous union of a man and a woman — best coheres with human biology and children’s welfare.
At C4M we champion the freedom to pursue real, evidence‑based help that honours man‑woman marriage. We call on ministers to rethink any Bill that would deny adults the therapeutic choices they freely desire.