Peter Tatchell: ‘People are being held and abused in churches all across the country’

Last week it was reported that the Government plans to include a Bill on ‘conversion therapy’ in the King’s Speech on 7^th November.

Media speculation previously said the plans would be dropped, and the Labour Party even announced at its conference that it would legislate where the Conservatives had chosen not to.

But regardless of whether or not the controversial ban is forthcoming, LGBT activists will continue to demand a new law that criminalises Christians for disputing their ideology.

That’s precisely the angle that veteran gay campaigner Peter Tatchell seems to have chosen. He was interviewed on GB News by Jacob Rees-Mogg last Thursday night.

Rees-Mogg quite reasonably put it to Tatchell that abuse and assault are already illegal – a new law isn’t necessary, but could instead impact conversations between parents and children.

Tatchell responded: “people are being held, abused, threatened…”

Rees-Mogg interrupted: “Okay, but that is already illegal.”

Tatchell continued: “…but it’s not enforced … it happens in churches and places of worship all across the country...”

Sorry, what?

Does Peter Tatchell really think that “people are being held, abused, threatened … in churches and places of worship all across the country”?

That’s an outrageous claim. No matter the strength of his disagreement with Christian beliefs, Tatchell can’t surely believe people are being trapped and attacked. If that was going on, the police would rightly intervene. Those involved would be denounced by Christians for unbiblical behaviour.

That wasn’t the only astonishing comment. Take for example his explanation about a conversion therapy law that he thinks the UK should copy:

“So we’ve got the Australian state of Victoria, which has an excellent model that works well. We could adapt that without any fear that parents would be intimidated or threatened by the law.”

Regular readers of the Let Us Pray blog will need no reminding of the nightmarish reality of Victoria’s ban. But here is a quote from the Australian Daily Mail for a reminder:

“A new Victorian law which forces mothers and fathers to accept their children’s desire to change gender has left distraught parents fearing prosecution if they do anything to try to prevent potentially harmful and irreversible treatment.

“So far-reaching is the new law that even trying to arrange counselling and expert assessment for their kids could lead to parents – and the mental health professionals – being prosecuted if the advice did anything other than affirm the children’s newly-discovered gender dysphoria.

“Many parents feel trapped, unable to do anything to prevent their children pursuing potentially irreversible and harmful changes – from chest-binding to taking hormone blockers and ultimately sex-change surgery.”

The truth is that new legislation is not needed to tackle abuse against LGBT people in the UK.

If Tatchell gets what he wants, we would see hideous limits imposed on free speech and the ordinary work of churches. Parents would undoubtedly feel intimidated by the law.

When faced with the facts it is clear: a law like this would be devastating for us all.