‘Abusive’ LGBTQ+ conversion practices to be banned in England and Wales

A draft bill to ban LGBTQ+ conversion practices has been published by the government, marking a major step towards ending the cruel custom.

A draft bill to ban LGBTQ+ conversion practices has been published by the government, marking a major step towards ending the cruel custom.

So-called conversion ‘therapies’ are a discredited method of attempting to change a person’s sexuality or gender identity, often against their will.

This can be as subtle as a prayer, but can also involve extreme abusive behaviour such as exorcism or physical violence.

A 2018 government survey found 7% of LGBT people and 13% of trans people in the UK had been offered or had undergone conversion ‘therapy’.

The report found it was particularly prominent in Muslim communities, with 32% of trans Muslim respondents and 10% of cisgender LGBT Muslim respondents saying they had been through a conversion process.

A ban on the practice was first proposed under Theresa May’s Conservative government, but the move was pushed back repeatedly until it was dropped from the King’s Speech under Rishi Sunak.

Labour’s 2024 manifesto pledged to deliver a ‘a full trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices, while protecting the freedom for people to explore their sexual orientation and gender identity’.

The draft bill, which would apply to England and Wales, would make it a crime to ‘carry out abusive conversion practices that cause serious harm, alarm or distress to the victim’.

It would also introduce an offence of ‘encouraging or assisting an abusive conversion practice performed outside England and Wales’.

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Those found guilty could face imprisonment for up to five years, an unlimited fine, or both.