Yeah, therapy. That’s a word for it.
On Thursday, March 31st, the UK government officially announced legislation that bans gay conversion therapy in England and Wales. The UK joins Argentina, Uruguay, Samoa, Figi, Naura (a city in India) and parts of 20 states in America to make the harmful practice illegal. Hopefully, this continued progress will help the world become a healthier environment for the next generation of LGBT people.
A press release distributed to Sky News states:
We will ban conversion therapy to prevent these abhorrent practices which can cause mental and physical harm. People should be free to be themselves in the UK. The ban will eliminate coercive practices which cause mental and physical harm to individuals. We will ensure the action we take to stop this practice is proportionate and effective and does not have unintended consequences.
According to Web MD, gay conversion therapy is described as:
Any emotional or physical therapy used to “cure” or “repair” a person’s attraction to the same sex, or their gender identity and expression. Providers claim these therapies can make someone heterosexual or “straight.” But there’s no evidence to support this. Medical and mental health experts have rejected conversion therapy practices as dangerous and discriminatory for decades. It not only doesn’t work, but could also lead to: Depression, Anxiety, Drug use, Homelessness and Suicide. In extreme cases, the practices may be violent or torturous. Conversion therapy is sometimes called “reparative therapy” or “ex-gay therapy.
The progress of this bill/law has been on a rollercoaster just within the last day. Will it be signed by the Prime Minister?
First, the only reason the law has made it this far in the first place is because it was a promise by Boris Johnson and his predecessor Theresa May and was included in a speech by the Queen las year that the law would happen. The denial received HUGE backlash from the public.
Then, itv news reported that there were some official briefings that outlined a no go on this law by Prime Minister Johnson even after it was considered a done deal by everyone else. The Downing Street document seen by ITV News stated: “The PM has agreed we should not move forward with legislation to ban LGBT conversion therapy.”
The briefing is titled “Conversion Therapy Handling Plan” and admits that there will be a “noisy backlash from LGBT groups and some parliamentarians when we announce we do not intend to proceed.”
It goes on to warn: “The LGBT sector will read this decision as a signal the government is uninterested in LGBT issues” and sets out how the fallout could be minimised.
But soon after the briefings hit the fan, I mean news, it appears the government may have been embarrassed at what was found. The briefs suggested the justification for not passing the conversion therapy ban was that: “Given the unprecedented circumstances of major pressures on cost of living and the crisis in Ukraine, there is an urgent need to rationalise our legislative programme”. And further went on to question if we really needed a new law or could we just work with existing laws to get the same results.
But the u-turn after the u-turn has caused a limitation to the law as it now only bans conversion therapy for LGB people and not the T; meaning conversion therapy aimed at “curing” transgender individuals will remain legal.
🚨 U-TURN ON THE U-TURN 🚨
The Prime Minister has changed his mind off the back of the reaction to our report and he WILL now ban conversion therapy after all.
Senior Govt source absolutely assures me it’ll be in Queen’s Speech.
But only gay conversion therapy, not trans.
— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) March 31, 2022
What do you guys think about this? I’m happy, but also – all for one and one for all, ya know? LGBT all the way! And will Boris say u-turn and say no again?
I hope gay conversion therapy is banned soon.
Urgh. As a gay brit, I can tell you we’ve been promised this for years, and it keeps being ‘consulted’ on, shelved, watered down, and then back out for consultation. This govt is known for saying something, and then U-turning when they have yet again misjudged. Sadly this just shows their natural instinct in this case is to go against gay rights.