LGBT+
Major therapy professionals in UK call out conversion therapy as unethical
1 year ago
Major therapy professional organisations in the UK denounce conversion therapy as unethical and potentially harmful.
Five years have passed since the Government announced its intention to ban conversion therapy in the UK.
Broadcaster Pete Price who suffered aversion therapy in the 1960âs says that conversion therapy is an âabomination in the eyes of God, if there is one.”
He says it must be banned completely and should have never ever been even considered. “I suggest the people that are responsible for it have problems with their own sexualityâ
Listen to Pete talking about his experience HERE.
What has happened in the five years since the Government announcement? What is conversion therapy and will it ever be banned? Take a look at what we know here:
What is conversion therapy?
The UK Council for Psychotherapy defines it as an umbrella term for âtherapy that is based on the assumption that any sexual orientation or gender identity is inherently preferable to any other, and attempts to change or suppress someoneâs sexual orientation or gender identity on that basisâ.
It said conversion therapy is sometimes referred to as âreparative therapy, gay cure therapy or sexual orientation and gender change effortsâ, and that all major therapy professional bodies in the UK have been united in speaking out against conversion therapy âconsidering it unethical and potentially harmfulâ.
When was a ban announced?
The Government first announced its intention to ban so-called âgay cureâ conversion therapies in 2018 as part of its LGBT action plan.
Then-prime minister Theresa May said at the time: âI was shocked that conversion therapy was still going on. I think itâs abhorrent and I think it has no place in modern Britain.â
So why is it still not banned?
The Government has said the Bill must not inadvertently criminalise parents or clinicians who need to be able to have âlegitimate conversationsâ with children and young adults experiencing gender-related distress.
When the Government initially announced its consultation into the conversion therapy ban, its âuniversalâ proposals were intended to protect all LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people.
In March 2022, then-prime minister Boris Johnson dropped plans for legislation, with a Government spokesman saying at the time it would look at how the existing law could be applied more effectively and explore other measures.
Within hours, a furious backlash forced a retreat and a senior Government source was quoted as saying legislation would be included in the Queenâs Speech.
Mr Johnson was said to have âchanged his mindâ after seeing the reaction to the earlier announcement.
He defended the decision not to include trans people, saying there were âcomplexities and sensitivitiesâ which needed to be worked through.
Critics told the Government to stop making âpathetic excusesâ, protesters took to the streets and so many LGBT+ groups pulled out of the Governmentâs landmark LGBT conference that it had to be cancelled.
What is the situation now?
At the beginning of this year, Michelle Donelan, then secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, said the Conversion Therapy Bill will protect âeveryone, including those targeted on the basis of their sexuality, or being transgenderâ.
She described it as a âcomplex areaâ, adding the legislation âmust not, through a lack of clarity, harm the growing number of children and young adults experiencing gender-related distress, through inadvertently criminalising or chilling legitimate conversations parents or clinicians may have with their childrenâ.
What are other organisations saying?
The British Psychological Society, which supports a ban, has warned the legislation must make a âclear distinction between so-called conversion therapy and normal ethical practiceâ.
It added that legislation should ânot interfere with psychological and medical professionals who are trained and competent in working with trans and gender-questioning young people from engaging in identity exploration or performing clinical assessment of suitability for medical interventionâ.
Dr Adrian James, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, has previously described conversion therapy as a âdamaging, degrading and discriminatory practice that seeks to correct something that does not need fixing â a personâs sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expressionâ.
LGBT+ charity Stonewall said a ban must not contain âloopholes that would enable abuse to continue through the back door, whether it be via the idea that people can âconsentâ to abuse, exemptions for medical settings, or any other carve-outsâ.
So, what happens next?
It was reported by ITV in June that the draft Bill had been sent to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who was considering the exact wording of the Bill before publishing it.
A Government spokesperson said the draft Bill will be scrutinised by a committee during this parliamentary session allowing for âin-depth analysis and challenge to test the policy and drafting and ensure we address any risk of unintended impactsâ.