conversion therapy accusations resurface in kingston federal campaign
stories from five years ago about conversion therapy at kingston conservative candidate bryan paterson's church shared online during federal campaign
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conservative candidate bryan paterson, seen with his wife shyla, speaks at his federal campaign launch in kingston last week.
elliot ferguson
/
the whig-standard
kingston — a controversy that has followed conservative candidate bryan paterson for almost five years resurfaced now that he is campaigning for federal politics.
in 2020, paterson was criticized for his membership at the third day worship centre, a kingston church that performed conversion therapy as a way of changing a person’s sexual orientation.
paterson’s affiliation with the church has resurfaced on social media now that he is campaigning for the federal seat in kingston and the islands.
ben rodgers of kingston went public in 2020 with accusations that paterson was involved in his conversion therapy at the church around 2004.
rodgers called out paterson for not taking a stand against conversion therapy and described the treatment he underwent at the church when he was 19 as “torture.”
“he could have made the apology for what was going on, and he didn’t even have the bare minimum, moral compass to even do that,” rodgers said in an interview wednesday afternoon.
“he is the same man that is set on the church religious goals, and that has nothing to do with positivity for the lgbt community, that has nothing to do with positivity for people who just want to live a happy life,” rodgers added.
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“his goals are religion. his goals are damning the gays, getting rid of the trans, you know, homeless people don’t matter.”
rodgers founded conversion therapy survivors connect, a survivor-led support program for people who underwent conversion therapy.
the 2020 controversy prompted paterson to distance himself from the church and its pastor francis armstrong.
paterson later said he severed ties with the church, where he had been a youth pastor.
in an interview last week, paterson said he believed in the separation of church and state and said he has always worked for all of his constituents.
“as i said at the time, when those issues came up, i said to every member of our lgbt community that i support you, that we are all equal, and that i’ve always strived to be the mayor for everyone,” paterson added in an interview last week. “i will absolutely strive to be a member of parliament for everyone regardless of who they are.”
at the time, paterson said he did not take part in the conversion therapy and denounced the practice as “just plain wrong.”
on wednesday, paterson’s campaign reiterated that stance.
“these decades-old claims were addressed publicly years ago and what was said at the time remains true: bryan paterson has never supported or participated in conversion therapy,” read a statement from the campaign.
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in early 2021, kingston became the first municipality in ontario to ban conversion therapy, prohibiting the practice ahead of a federal ban passed almost a year later.
in addition to banning the practice, the city in early 2022 committed $60,000 over three years to help victims of conversion therapy.
elferguson@postmedia.com
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