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International Federation for Therapeutic and Counseling Choice vs. transgender people

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International Federation for Therapeutic and Counseling Choice (IFTCC) is a network of practitioners and organizations involved in debates over sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE), also known as conversion therapy. IFTCC promotes “therapeutic choice” and religious counseling approaches related to sexual orientation and gender identity. IFTCC opposes conversion therapy bans.

Major medical and human-rights organizations have characterized such practices as harmful and unsupported by scientific evidence.

Background

Ex-gay activist Mike Davidson founded Core Issues Trust. The IFTCC was registered in England and Wales in 2017 and publicly launched in October 2018. The IFTCC became involved in public policy debates, particularly in the United Kingdom, where proposals to restrict conversion therapy were gaining attention. IFTCC submitted evidence to government consultations and argued that broad bans could restrict voluntary counseling. In 2021, IFTCC submitted a report to the Scottish Government’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee regarding proposals to end conversion therapy.

Anti-trans activism

In 2022, IFTCC released a declaration that promoted anti-transgender conversion therapy and argued against banning the practice:

  1. Banning ‘conversion therapy’ infringes human rights and freedoms, imperilling both therapeutic choice and pastoral, professional and parental rights.
  2. Professional bodies promoting discriminatory monocultural viewpoints prevent ideological diversity and critique.
  3. ‘Mostly-heterosexuals’, the largest non-heterosexual minority group, are being denied therapeutic support to affirm their heterosexual aspirations.
  4. Sexual fluidity happens in both directions but this is being ignored.
  5. Banning ‘conversion therapy’ will extend ‘cancel culture’, silence dissent and inhibit free speech.
  6. Political aspirations sacrifice much needed therapy for children and adults who feel distress about their sex.
  7. ‘Conversion therapy’ bans are unsafe while potential causal links between trauma and same-sex attractions and ‘gender dysphoria’ remain unexamined
  8. Change-allowing therapies do not actually cause ‘harm’ or increase suicidality according to peer-reviewed research.
  9. Torture claims in ‘conversion therapy’ are unsubstantiated and are designed to silence dissent.
  10. Church leaders conceding to unsafe ‘conversion therapy’ bans defame and undermine the potentially complementary roles of pastoral and professional counselling.

People

Executive Board

  • Mike Davidson
  • Carolyn Pela
  • Laura Haynes
  • Simon Wyatt

General Board

  • Ken Williams
  • Øyvind Hasting
  • Elizabeth Woning

Clinical and Medical Council

Science and Research Council

  • Laura Haynes
  • Christopher Rosik
  • Paul Sullins

Country Representatives

  • Kristina Malysheva: Ukraine
  • William Tong: Hong Kong
  • Jolanta Próchniewicz: Poland
  • Gintautas Vaitoska: LIthuania
  • Shlomo Zalman (Adam) Jessel: Israel
  • Laura Haynes: United States
  • Ann Gillies: Canada

See also

Core Issues Trust

Selected writing by IFTCC

Davidson, M.R., Haynes, L., James, S., May, P.  (2022). An International Declaration on Therapeutic and Pastoral Choice. https://iftcc.org/full-declaration/

Resources

GC Watch UK (antirights.com)

  • IFTCC
  • antirights.com/org.html?org=iftcc

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

International Federation for Therapeutic and Counseling Choice (iftcc.org)