Dear Virginia Board of Counseling

I have read the recent Guidance Document on “conversion therapy.” I am appalled that it is so clearly designed to ignore biology of the human race and advocate for genderless society. Is that really what we want?

Our genetics is clearly male and female when it occurs normally. When all the chromosomes occur without defect, a normal, healthy and heterosexual human is born.  Without heterosexuality, humanity would cease to exist.

When there are errors in chromosome makeup, there are problems. Many errors result in health issues, frequently undiagnosed until they become a serious problem. I am one of those people who has a genetic defect that does not force my body to excrete toxins quickly, but rather stores them, causing an endless stream of negative symptoms and illnesses. I have sought treatments to help overcome the results of this defect.

When the sex determining genetics has an error, the result is a human with abnormal feelings about themselves and other human beings. This defect is no different from mine or any other. It creates problems for the human being and we should strive to correct the problems or the cause of the problem through treatment, whether physical or psychological.

Your changes in counseling denies people who do not want to have aberrant sexual feeling or act on those feeling, the opportunity to receive treatment. Currently, to my knowledge, we do not have a way to correct errors in the sex-determining genes, but we do have psychological treatment and counseling methods that can help a person live with their problem in a healthier way.

Why should it be that those who want to transform themselves to another gender should have that opportunity and be encouraged to do so, but those who do not want to transform themselves should be denied the opportunity to make their lives better?  Why is is not equally healthy to help a person live well within their physical gender as to help them transform to another gender either physically or psychologically.

This perhaps the most insidious form of discrimination I have heard of to date. There is a lot of lip service given to justice and equality today, but your new regulations clearly do not offer either. Many of the counselors who help those who do not want to transgender are faith based. In addition, Constitutionally, expression of faith must not be denied in the counseling room as it must not be denied in the public square or in the media.

Do not adopt these Guidance/regulations and do not disallow any of the currently available counseling for people with gender problems. People should be allowed to seek the kind of counseling that best serves their psychological and physical needs, not have it dictated by a political agenda.

Regards,

Donna Lauderdale

Manassas Virginia