MPs have called upon the government to go ahead with a trans-inclusive conversion therapy ban.
Yesterday, March 8, 20 MPs debated an online petition advocating for the ban on conversion therapy practices in the UK at Westminster Hall.
The e-petition is calling for a ban on conversion therapy practises in the UK and currently has 256,392 signatures. The petition is advocating to make “conversion therapy in the UK a criminal offence”.
Alongside the main call for banning conversion therapy, the petition urges the UK government to enforce policies to prevent the practice from continuing outside of a ban.
Conservative MP and Petitions Committee member Elliot Colburn opened the debate with the stories of three conversion therapy survivors.
Conversion therapy is the practice of attempting to ‘erase, repress, cure or change’ someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity through forms psychological and physical methods.
Conversion therapy practice is already outlawed in Switzerland and certain areas in Australia, Canada, the US, and in some case in India.
MPs from all parties called upon the government to urgently action a legalisation timeline to prevent the ‘medieval’ practice from continuing.
Doughty closed his speech by stating his solidarity with the non-binary community and called banning conversion therapy a “human rights issue”.
He added: “It boils down to one phrase: Let’s get on with it …. the only people speaking in defence of it are quacks, bigots and bullies.”
David Mundell, former Scottish secretary, said conversion therapy “could not be tolerated”. Mundell was the Conservative Party’s first openly gay cabinet minister after coming out in 2016.
He added the government had “given the impression of being tardy” and now was “the time to end that impression”.
Kemi Badenoch, secretary of state for equalities, assured MPs the government are taking the advice to ban the inhumane practice ‘very seriously’ with a ‘comprehensive plan’.
Speaking to the MPs, Badenoch said: “We are in conversations with international counterparts, both those who have introduced the variety of legislative and non-legislative actions, and those who plan to.”
“While it is important to figure out what will work in a UK context, we may also look to our friend around the world to understand the effectiveness of different approaches.
“Honourable members have mentioned, for example, that Germany has implemented a ban on conversion therapy for minors only, or when an adult has been covered, and I understand other countries such as Malta have also taken this route.
“However, we understand that different countries will take different approaches that best suit their needs. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach.”
Labour politician Angela Eagle called conversion therapy “medieval” and “dehumanising”. She also emphasised the “serious risk” the ongoing practices will have on the LGBTQ+ community’s mental health.
MPs have also called for the potential conversion therapy ban to be inclusive of the transgender community.
Conservative MP Crispin Blunt stated the ban must be fully LGBTQ+ inclusive and “must include trans people”.
Blunt continued to elaborate the importance of having a trans-inclusive conversion therapy ban: “If legislation doesn’t include the protection of trans people, it will send the unmistakable message to them that their government does not want to protect them, does not value them, and on some level, it doesn’t really accept that trans is really a thing, and that awful message would inadvertently make the government party to the practice of conversion therapy itself.”
Data from the National LGBT Survey suggests that seven per cent of LGBTQ+ individuals have been offered or undergone conversion therapy.
Transgender respondents are almost twice as likely to have been offered or undergone conversion therapy at thirteen per cent.
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