The Abortion Rights Campaign has boycotted the Irish Times for being “transphobic,” suggesting, once more, that one can literally never be liberal or progressive enough to appease the Irish NGO sector.
After all, if the paper of Fintan O’Toole and Una Mullally is not sufficiently on-side, who is?
“Transphobia has no place in the paper of record,” the group said in a statement, adding that they will not “share, read, pay for or write for the Irish Times” going forward until it apologises for publishing an article about trans conversion therapy in August.
The boycott, which was originally started by the Trans Writer’s Union, claims that the article in question was “anti-trans,” and as a result the boycotting groups call for the Irish Times to embrace a more “trans-inclusive editorial line.”
The ARC says the paper “uncritically” shared articles on conversion therapy, “a practice that has been widely condemned as torture by health professionals, human rights organisations and organisations that support torture victims.”
“It is unacceptable for any paper to continually target a minority community in this fashion,” an ARC spokesperson said.
“It is exhausting to repeatedly ask for basic respect and integrity in journalism.”
Given how ideologically committed, over many years, the Irish Times and its columunists have been to legalising abortion in Ireland, it’s a little bizarre to see the ARC turn on them like this.
So what did the Irish Times actually say in their article? One might imagine that in order to generate this level of steam-out-of-the-ears outrage, they must have called for forcibly subjecting innocent transgender children to electroshock therapy, or something on that level – right? What else could justify this level of backlash?
Well, let’s take a look at the article, entitled “Bill to ban conversion therapy poses problems for therapists.” The piece can be read in full below.
I'm pleased the @IrishTimes gave us the opportunity to explain the complexities of the proposed bill to ban conversion therapy in this article. Simplistic narratives don't work in this complex world https://t.co/4mVFE7C38a
— Stella O'Malley (@stellaomalley3) August 9, 2021
The article, which is written by three female therapists, begins by saying in no uncertain terms that conversion therapy is morally wrong. It even goes so far as to describe the practice as “utterly abhorrent” and expresses relief that it has been outlawed.
The piece reads:
“The term “conversion therapy” should send a shiver up the spine of any decent person. As originally practised, it attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation from gay to straight by means such as aversion therapy.
This included punishing “undesirable” sexual behaviour with painful and demeaning treatment such as electric shocks, starvation or, in extreme circumstances, “corrective rape”. It is an utterly abhorrent practice, now thankfully outlawed by all reputable psychotherapy bodies and, in Ireland, very rare.”
In other words, this in no way can be described as a defence of conversion therapy. The entire first two paragraphs are committed to condemning the practice. Anyone who claims the article was defending conversion therapy either didn’t bother to read it, or is being dishonest.
The article goes on to say that while brutal conversion therapy practices for a person’s sexuality are totally unacceptable, a Sinn Féin bill currently making its way through the Oireachtas has some problematic wording.
The Bill, introduced by Sinn Féin Senator Fintan Warfield, describes conversion therapy as: “any practice or treatment by any person that seeks to change, suppress and/or eliminate a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression.”
As the authors of the Irish Times’ piece wrote, “the inclusion of “suppression of gender identity” in the Bill’s definition risks throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”
“Sexual orientation and gender identity are very different things and they should not be conflated…There has been a very sharp increase in adolescents presenting with gender dysphoria or gender questioning or identifying as trans, particularly in the last three years
Gender dysphoria for example, may have many underlying causes not necessarily related to being transgender. If we explore this, will therapists find themselves accused of practising conversion therapy?”
The writers – one might argue very reasonably – added that “not all [children and youths] will go on to socially or medically transition, nor should they, as not all gender dysphoria means an underlying trans identity.”
In other words, just because someone feels like they have an issue with their gender at the age of, say, 12, or 13, doesn’t necessarily mean they do. They could just be a child, going through a phase, as so many children and teens do.
Perhaps the teen is gay, and misinterprets their feelings of same sex attraction as being transgender. Which is why one goes to therapy – to help tease out these feelings and gain a deeper understanding of ones’ self.
But under this bill, if a therapist tried to explore this possibility with a patient, they could face legal consequences. If they attempt to gently explain to a teen that they may not need to radically socially and surgically transition to another gender to address whatever issues they’re experiencing, they could be accused of attempting to “suppress the patients’ gender identity” and land themselves in hot water.
As the writers explain:
“If therapists are fearful of accusations of “conversion” therapy, first the majority won’t work in the area of gender and, second, there will be no chance for gender-questioning clients of this age to explore or be challenged. No room for growth, no time for reflection or self-discovery.”
For publishing an OpEd expressing this perfectly reasonable, logical, measured point, the Irish Times is now the target of a boycott.
We don’t have to guess if the people participating in this boycott have read the piece – at least some of them openly admit that they haven’t, including journalist Kathryn Johnston.
I didn't read the original piece in @IrishTimes but I stand in solidarity with Abortion Rights Campaign and the Trans Writers Union in their boycott of the paper until they withdraw and apologise for their article on conversion therapy https://t.co/ccA0VvKpnt
— kathryn johnston (@kathrynjohnston) November 21, 2021
Trinity College Student Union has also called for a referendum to boycott the Irish Times over its “anti-transgender ethos.” No doubt many of the students in question have actually read the piece either.
Trinity College Dublin Students' Union is to hold a referendum on boycotting the Irish Times over its "anti-transgender ethos" https://t.co/inkUZFmekp
— The University Times (@universitytimes) October 19, 2021
The mostly liberal and progressive staff at the Irish Times might, at this point, have an obvious question: With friends like this, who needs enemies?