Britain will attempt to outlaw conversion therapy for lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, and transgender individuals, cracking down on so-called treatments that purport to alter a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Michelle Donelan, minister of culture, stated on Tuesday that the government will shortly publish draft legislation outlining intentions to ban conversion techniques in England and Wales.
“The Bill will protect everyone, including those who are targeted based on their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Donelan said in a statement.
The goal of conversion practices, which may involve harsh or destructive procedures, is to suppress or prevent a person from being homosexual or existing as a gender other than the one assigned at birth. A 2017 LGBT national poll indicated that 5% of respondents had been given conversion therapy and 2% had undertaken it, with religious groups performing over half of the conversions.
In order to prevent “abhorrent practices that can cause mental and physical harm,” the British government declared it will ban conversion therapy for LGBT individuals in 2021, but then determined the ban would only apply to lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons.
The United Kingdom will also oppose a bill passed by Scotland’s devolved legislature that makes it simpler for people to change their legal gender.
Donelan stated on Tuesday that the draft legislation will seek to include transgender persons and that the government will want a joint committee to review the bill before it becomes law.
Numerous activists have long advocated for a ban on conversion therapy, while others have maintained that any such prohibition should not exclude interactions with physicians or therapists who assist individuals with gender difficulties.
“The legislation must not harm the growing number of children and young adults experiencing gender-related distress by inadvertently criminalizing or chilling legitimate conversations between parents and clinicians and their children,” Donelan stated.
Last year, more than two dozen health and counseling organizations signed a revised statement of agreement stating that “conversion therapy, regardless of its relationship to sexual orientation or gender identity, is unethical and potentially harmful.”
Separately, the British government announced on Monday that it will oppose a bill enacted by Scotland’s devolved parliament that makes it simpler for people to change their legal gender.
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