Government brings back plan to ban gay conversion therapy and to include trans conversion | Politics News

A plan to ban gay conversion therapy will be brought back by the government and will include outlawing transgender therapy, the culture secretary has confirmed.

The policy has been proposed several times by successive Conservative governments, starting with Theresa May in 2018.

Boris Johnson also supports the move, but after a series of turnshe finally dropped transgender protections last year after some Tory MPs expressed concern about parents supporting children who were questioning their gender identity.

Now, Michelle Donelan has issued a written statement to the Commons promising a new draft legislation that will include the measure.

“We recognize the power of emotions about harmful conversion practices and are committed to protecting people from these practices and ensuring that they can live their lives free from threats of harm. or abusive,” she wrote.

“It is true that this issue is addressed through a dedicated and consistent legislative approach, which is why we are announcing today that the government will publish a draft law that sets out the approach.” proposed to ban conversion operations, which would apply to England and Wales.

“The bill would protect everyone, including those targeted on the basis of their gender or being transgender.”

Notice to amid a controversy over Scotland’s gender reform billwhich the UK government has taken the unprecedented decision to block from Westminster.

What is conversion therapy?

Also known as curative or corrective therapy, conversion therapy refers to any form of treatment or psychotherapy that aims to change a person’s sexual orientation or eliminate identity. a person’s gender.

Jayne Ozanne, a former government equality adviser, said therapies and prayers could be used, while more extreme forms could include “exorcism, physical violence and lack of pay real”.

LGBT charity Stonewall says conversion therapy is based on the assumption that lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered sex is a “curable” mental illness.

The NHS and other professional bodies have warned all forms of conversion therapy are “unethical and potentially harmful”.