Mind welcomes inclusive conversion ‘therapy’ ban
The UK government have today announced they will move forward with a ban on conversion ‘therapies’ that claim to alter a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
In the last year, the UK government trailed plans to drop the ban altogether, before changing course and moving forward with a ban, but excluding conversion ‘therapies’ which would seek to alter a trans person’s gender identity.
However, today’s announcement changed course, recommitting the UK government to implementing a fully inclusive ban on conversion ‘therapies’.
Responding to the news, Sarah Hughes, CEO at Mind, said:
“We are incredibly pleased the UK government have seen sense and recommitted to a fully inclusive ban on abhorrent conversion ‘therapy’ practices. As our report highlighting the experiences of people who’ve been through conversion ‘therapy’ showed, trying to alter or suppress someone’s gender identity or sexual orientation often has a devastating and life-altering impact on their mental health.
“It never made sense to exclude practices attempting to alter someone’s gender identity from this ban. The UK government’s own research suggests that trans people are much more likely to have undergone, or been offered, conversion ‘therapy’.
“There’s still work to do to fully protect LGBTQIA+ people from highly damaging conversion practices. The UK government must close major loopholes in the ban, for example those which would allow conversion ‘therapy’ to take place in a religious setting. We still have a long way to go before an effective ban on conversion ‘therapy’ is in place in the UK, but today’s announcement puts us one step closer.”
