On July 4, 2023, the Facebook page, “I Ucnobi” published a video concerning the current news in the world. Among others, the video and post description entailed the following claims:
- Belgium has become the first country in the world where the promotion of traditional family values is criminalized;
- The University of North Carolina removed the words “mother and father” from its new dictionary.
Information about the newly adopted law in Belgium was also published by Facebook users (1, 2). According to the posts, the law adopted in Belgium prohibits the propaganda of the traditional family, and the person who is engaged in the propaganda of the traditional family will be fined 2000 EUR for the first time, and in case of recurrence, the sanction will be the imprisonment for two years.
The claims about the ban on the promotion of traditional family values in Belgium and the abolition of the words “mother and father” at the University of North Carolina are being spread manipulatively, in fact:
- Conversion therapy has been banned in Belgium, which may include talk therapy and prayer, but its more extreme forms include exorcism, physical abuse, electroshock therapy and corrective rape to change the sexual orientation of LGBTQ people;
- The University of North Carolina has provided students and staff with an Inclusive Language Guide, which does not mean eliminating any terms, but rather using inclusive terms to avoid offending anyone with words that carry racist, sexist, ageist, homophobic, or otherwise non-inclusive connotations.
What has been banned in Belgium?
Instead of the promotion of traditional family values, Belgium, in fact, plans to ban conversion practices. Conversion therapy is a pseudoscientific ineffective, and dangerous practice that aims to change, suppress or eliminate the sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression of LGBTQ people.
According to the British Psychological Society (BPS), conversion therapy – sometimes called “reparative therapy” or “gay healing therapy” – seeks to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. In practice, this means trying to stop or suppress someone’s homosexuality or identifying with something other than their birth gender.
Belgium plans to ban conversion practices instead of promoting traditional family values. Conversion therapy is a pseudoscientific ineffective and dangerous practice that aims to change, suppress or eliminate the sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression of LGBTQ people.
According to the British Psychological Society (BPS), conversion therapy – sometimes called “reparative therapy” or “gay cure therapy” – seeks to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. In practice, this means trying to stop or suppress someone’s homosexuality or identifying with something other than their birth gender.
Conversion practices may include talk therapy and prayer, but more extreme forms involve exorcism, physical abuse, and starvation. Conversion therapy methods also include electroshock therapy and corrective rape. Corrective rape is committed based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, and its purpose is to force the victim to conform to heterosexuality or a normative gender identity. Conversion therapy methods can be carried out in a religious, medical or sectarian environment, can be carried out by relatives or pseudo-professionals and can lead to catastrophic results: in many cases, it has a long-term effect on people, and the person on whom the conventional practice is carried out may even resort to suicide.
At least 700,000 cases of conversion practice have been recorded in the US, although European countries, including Belgium, are not immune from this practice. The extent of the phenomenon of conversion practice in Europe is unknown, because, in most cases, it is carried out in secrecy. However, it is estimated that 2% of LGBTQ+ people in the EU have been victims to conversion therapy, and 5% have been offered conversion practice, although the actual figures may be much higher. According to a recent study by the CPCP (Centre Permanent pour la Citoyenneté et la Participation), many LGBTQ people in Belgium have become victims of of medical therapy or even forms of exorcism. Although Belgium is considered a model for LGBTQ+ rights due to its extensive legislative arsenal, conversion therapy has not yet been officially banned in the country. The bill to ban the practice of conversion was introduced by Secretary of State Marie-Colline Leroy of the Green Party and Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne of the Flemish Liberal Party.
The bill, which has already been approved by the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs but still needs to be approved by the rest of parliament, provides for prison terms of eight days to two years and a fine of between 208 and 2,400 euros for carrying out the conversion practice. According to the bill, the court will take into account whether the crime was committed by a person with recognized trust, authority or influence over the victim and whether the crime was committed against a minor or a vulnerable person.
The first European country to ban conversion therapy was Malta in 2016. Four years later, in 2020, Germany and Albania joined it.
The bill, which has already been approved by the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs but still needs to be approved by the rest of parliament, provides for prison terms of eight days to two years and a fine of between 208 and 2,400 EUR for carrying out the conversion practice. According to the bill, the court will take into account whether the crime was committed by a person with recognized trust, authority or influence over the victim and whether the crime was committed against a minor or a vulnerable person.
The first European country to ban conversion therapy was Malta in 2016. Four years later, in 2020, Germany and Albania joined the initiative.
Germany has banned conversion therapy for minors in 2020, and for non-consenting adults in 2021. Since then, medical interventions aimed at intentionally changing or suppressing a person’s sexual orientation or self-perceived gender identity and advertising such therapies have been banned in the country.
Has the University of North Carolina abolished the words “man”, “father” and “mother”?
The University of North Carolina’s Department of Student Affairs has offered students and faculty an Inclusive Language Guide. The list of terms suggests that words such as “minorities”, “poor”, “illegal migrant”, “homeless” are discriminatory and should be replaced with words that are not offensive or demeaning to any person.
The university’s website states that this inclusive language guide acts as a starting point for communication in order to promote a diverse and accepting community. “To fully represent the diversity of our students, faculty, staff and everyone in our community, it is important to use language that supports these values. This inclusive language guide can act as a starting point for communicating in a way that supports a diverse and welcoming community,” – we read in the introduction to the guide posted on the university’s website.
The guide is divided into several tables containing words that may reflect racial or other discriminatory bias, conflict with the values and principles of diversity, equality and inclusion. Using gender-neutral terms, shifting the focus away from a person’s physical and economic capabilities is important to ensure that no one is offended by words loaded with racist, sexist, ageist, homophobic, or otherwise non-inclusive connotations.
According to the guide, it is appropriate to use “parents” instead of “mother and father” so as not to discriminate against same-sex couples. The phrase “people whose incomes are below the federal poverty threshold, people whose self-reported income was in the lowest income bracket” has been suggested to describe low-income people. Possible substitutes for “illegal immigrant” are “undocumented people” or simply “individuals who are undocumented.”
The section titled “Gendered Nouns” asks students to change words in which neither gender is predominant. For example, the word “freshman” should be replaced with “first-year student” and “men and women” should be replaced with “everyone, folks, all people, people of all genders”.
Inclusive language reform at the University of North Carolina began in 2012, when the university removed the term “freshman” from official documents.
About the Source
The Facebook page “აი უცნობი • i ucnobi” was created on September 11, 2020, and belongs to Gia Gachechiladze, one of the founders of the organization “Ai Ia.” The Facebook page positions itself as a news agency and offers subscriptions to various columns. The Facebook page has spread manipulative and false information in the past as well. The details are available in the articles prepared by “Myth Detector”:
- Altered Video by Belorussian СБ ТВ Disseminated by Georgian Pro-Governmental and Kremlin Media
- Does the Ukrainian Government Fight against Orthodoxy or the Influence of Russia?
- What did Merkel Say About Ukraine in the Interviews with Der Spiegel and Die Zeit?
The Facebook accounts “Gocha Meskhi” and “Patiko Anlitiliberali Mxilebadze,” which have amplified the manipulative information about the Belgian bill, have published disinformation in the past as well.
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