Kathleen Stock says parents should tell kids they ‘face misery’ if they come out
Kathleen Stock (Wikimedia Commons/Kartoplia)
Kathleen Stock has suggested parents could respond to a child coming out as gay by warning: “It sounds like you’re going to have a really miserable life.”
The gender-critical feminist made the remarks on Times Radio while discussing the UK government’s proposed ban on conversion practices, and criticising the draft Conversion Practices Bill.
During the segment, Stock argued that while sexual orientation is not a choice, identifying with that sexuality is. Additionally, writing for The Times, she said: “Some will reply that sexual orientation is not a choice. I totally agree: you can’t choose who you fancy. But that point is irrelevant to what we are talking about, which is self-declared sexual orientation; or in other words, identity.”
Stock, who is a lesbian, added that a parent might raise concerns about the difficulties their child could face, including “potential homophobia”, and said the “really miserable life” conversation “should be a permissible conversation”.
Kathleen Stock on the draft Conversion Practices Bill
Stock described the proposed legislation as “very draconian”, and argued that violent and abusive conversion practices, such as electric shock therapy or “corrective rape”, were already covered by existing criminal laws.
The writer and philosopher also said the draft bill’s wording could be so broad that it might criminalise conversations between parents and children that were intended in “total good faith”. She said: “We need to allow parents to say, ‘No, I’m sorry, you’re girl,’ or even maybe, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t think you’re gay.'”
“It’s just not a criminal matter to have those conversations in good faith and yet this law, potentially, is so vague that it looks like it might cover those things,” Stock said.
‘It sounds like you’re going to have a really miserable life’
Stock, who has previously caused controversy due to her gender-critical views, also claimed the draft legislation does not require proof of intent, arguing that “even a parent acting in total good faith and well-meaning, well-intentioned behaviour could still count as abusive under the way this statute is drafted at the moment”.
She said she “wouldn’t personally” argue with a child who told her they might be gay, but suggested the “costs” of being gay, such as difficulties having a family, should be raised.
Bringing in Stonewall statistics, which she said she “doesn’t believe”, that 22 per cent of LGBTQ+ people have attempted suicide, she said: “If your child is saying, ‘Now, I’m gay,’ and you read that stat, you might say, ‘Well, hang on a minute, it sounds like you’re going to have a really miserable life.”
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