Peter Tatchell and ex-gay campaigner Michael Davidson of Core Issues Trust clash over charitable status

Ironically, the issue arose after Mr Tatchell actually defended a trustee of Dr Davidson's ex-gay charity, Core Issues Trust; Matthew Grech, is being prosecuted in Malta for allegedly promoting gay conversion therapy during a media interview.

Mr Tatchell responded that leading medical, psychological and counselling organisations hold that conversion therapy is "unethical and harmful".

However he also argued that Mr Grech "should not be prosecuted", because "he simply told his life story and expressed his point of view".

But now Dr Davidson, who identifies as “a former homosexual”, has challenged Mr Tatchell on what he claims is a serious inconsistency in his position.

Despite defending Mr Grech, Mr Tatchell "appears to align himself with removing Core Issues Trust from the Northern Ireland Charity Commission," Dr Davidson told the News Letter.

He based his assertion on an article published on the Peter Tatchell Foundation website four months ago which reported that the Charity Commission for NI has been urged to review the charitable status of Core Issues Trust.

Dr Davidson added: "It seems for Peter, opinions and speech should be free, but anything that actively supports people achieving their [anyone’s] goals in leaving unwanted practices is unacceptable. Make up your mind Peter!"

The ex-gay campaigner also cited the government’s National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, which he said found that over a five year period, “80% of people who had only same-sex sex partners had changed in favour of bisexual or exclusively heterosexual partners".

However Mr Tatchell repeated once again that conversion therapy is fully discredited. He also raised the issue of people being told their sexuality is wrong and then being forced to change it – both of which Dr Davidson has persistently said is not their practice.

Mr Tatchell added: “There is a big difference between a person spontaneously discovering a previously suppressed inner natural sexuality and someone being told their sexuality is wrong and being pressured to change it.”

"Conversion practices are fraud in that they don’t work. Many supposed ex-gays have been exposed, or voluntarily admitted, that they never lost, or had reverted to, same-sex desire.”

In his response, Dr Davidson challenged the relevancy of Mr Tatchells' observation that all of Britain's leading medical, psychological and counselling organisations hold that conversion that therapy is unethical and harmful.

Dr Davidson claimed that the UK Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy, signed by many UK mental health organisations, is not actually based on scientific research and evidence but is "by definition based on ideology and not empirical science".

And he claimed the government’s own National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, looking at 15,162 residents found that 93% of persons who reported same-sex attraction also reported some level of opposite-sex attraction.

"The same studies reveal that after at least five years, over 80% of persons who had only same-sex sex partners had changed in favour of bisexual or exclusively heterosexual partners. Sexuality is fluid! Those experiencing mixed attractions certainly must have the right to access help to confirm their heterosexual side, if that is their choice."

Dr Davidson asserted that "any therapy can cause harm".

"We should all oppose bad therapy, but be open to reviewing the science that continues to clearly show that interventions are generally improving the mental health of those who seek support - even if they don’t change".

The News Letter invited the Royal College of Psychiatrists to respond to his claims about the Memorandum of Understanding, the prevalence of sexual fluidity and his claim that interventions are generally helping those who seek support.

However, it did not directly address any of his claims, insteading raising the question of “mental disorders”.

A spokeswoman responded: “Clearly being attracted to someone of the same sex is not a mental disorder and we consider the use of conversion practices to be an act of discrimination. If the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont was to bring forward legislation banning this type of therapy, then this is something we would fully support.”

In 2020 The National Secular Society urged the Charity Commission to review the charitable status of Core Issues Trust in relation to conversion therapy, but later reported that its complaint was rejected.

The Charity Commission told the News Letter yesterday that despite requests to review the charity’s status, it remains a charity, “in law”.

A spokeswoman said a number of concerns were received regarding the charitable status of the Core Issues Trust as a charity in Northern Ireland.

"The concerns related to the practice of ‘conversion therapy/ change oriented therapy’ by the charity,” she said.

"Mindful of the position of the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, it is not the role of the Commission to adopt a position on the charity’s conduct in this matter unless or until there is a legislative change on what remains a lawful practice.

“On consideration of the charity’s application to join the register of charities in September 2016, Commission staff explored the definition of a charity in law which states that a charity must be established for exclusively charitable purposes, that is, each purpose falls under one or more of the list of 12 descriptions of purposes set out in section 2(2) of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (as amended) and is for the public benefit. Commission staff were satisfied that the Core Issues Trust met both of these requirements.

"Core Issues Trust remains a charity in law as charity status is conferred on an organisation by virtue of what is contained within its governing document. On the basis of the information above, the charitable status of the Core Issues Trust was not something for the Commission to re-examine.”