Tory leadership hopeful Derek Sloan

A Tory MP running to lead the Conservative Party of Canada has suggested that transgender kids should be given counselling to ‘cure’ them – and says he opposes anti-discrimination measures for trans people.

In a car-crash interview with CTV Power Play, right-wing politician Derek Sloan also argued that people are gay because of “other factors” than biology.

The MP for Hastings—Lennox and Addington also refused to directly condemn conversion therapy, and raised issues with a bill to ban the practise in the country.

Tory leadership candidate says trans kids should have counselling to make them ‘accept the gender they’re born with’.

Sloan said: “All of these conversations are nuanced. I absolutely think, especially when we’re talking about kids who maybe are being pushed towards taking drugs or surgery to change their anatomical gender, I think our first choice should be, can we do some body-affirming counselling?

“The definition of conversion therapy is so broad that it would cover counselling to help kids accept the gender they’re born with.”

He added: “We know a lot of kids that go through these feelings grow out of them by the time they’re adults… kids go through different feelings of, I may be this or that.

“Many kids who think they’re not their birth gender change by the time they’re adults.”

In the interview, Sloan – who became an MP in 2019 – admitted he would have voted against a bill that outlawed discrimination based on gender expression and gender identity in Canada, claiming he has “concerns” about “compelled speech”.

‘Other factors’ cause people to be gay, Derek Sloan claims.

He also defended Richard Décarie, a failed leadership hopeful who had argued that being gay is a “choice” and that LGBT+ is “a Liberal term”.

Sloan said: “Whatever the cause of sexual orientation, which I still maintain is scientifically unclear. That is the position of science right now.

“Science right now is saying that, yes, there’s biological components, but there’s many other factors that play into it and they don’t even know how they all work together.”

He added: “If you actually look into the research surrounding sexuality, there’s a lot going on there. Is there a biological component? Absolutely, but there’s many other factors that play into it.”