The 31st March 2022 (the date of the International Trans Visibility day), saw the government perform a double U-turn on the subject of a ban on Conversion therapy within the space of a few hours. The first U-turn was that the ban would not be created at all and then the second U-turn hours later announcing that the legislation would proceed but would only ban conversion based on Sexuality and not Gender identity. This despite promising in October that the ban would also apply to gender based Conversion Therapy. Binary and Non-binary Trans people in the Government’s own National LGBT survey research reports are much more likely to have received
or been offered conversion therapy 13% compared to Cisgender’s (non-Transgender people) 5%.
These U-turns it appears were decided upon at the highest levels of government without apparent knowledge of some ministers involved in the legislation. The second U-turn appears to have been in response to widespread condemnation of the government’s decision and was made by Boris Johnson on the night of 31st March.
Conversion therapies are interventions which are designed to overwrite or suppress a person’s Gender Identity or Sexuality. Consensus is that Gender Identity & Sexuality is an innate Characteristic of a person.
The practice has been banned in a number of countries across the globe, particularly those countries which vaunt their records on Human Rights. The UN’s “Independent Human Rights Expert on protection against violence & discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity”–Mr Madrigal-Borloz, released a report on Conversion Therapy in May 2020 which called for a Global Ban on the practice. The report noted that Conversion therapies can inflict severe (and potentially long-lasting) psychological and physical pain and suffering.
The expert noted that the practice is inherently degrading and discriminatory as it is rooted in the belief that LGBT persons are inferior to cisgender or heteronormative people and must modify their identity to remedy this inferiority. He highlighted that these practices are an egregious violation of rights to bodily autonomy, health and freedom of expression, which it is claimed are part of Britain’s approach to human rights. Further where such practices are conducted forcibly, they represent a breach to the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment.
The Independent Forensic Expert Group of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, a group of pre-eminent international medico-legal specialists from 23 countries, has declared that offering “conversion therapy” is a form of deception, false advertising and fraud as a number of studies show that these ‘therapies’ do not work and only provides distress for the victim.
Sajid Javid the current Health Secretary claimed that it was necessary to exclude Trans-people to protect gender questioning children, referring to Dr. Hilary Cass’ on going review into gender services provision for young children. She has said that it is right for medical experts to question people when they come forward claiming to have gender dysphoria and to determine if that really is the case. It should be noted that diagnosing and investigating Gender Dysphoria would not be Conversion Therapy, as it’s not seeking to change or suppress someone’s gender identity and in fact is more likely to provide support.
A selection of recent films exploring the reality and harm caused by so-called Gay Conversion Therapy (images link to the IMDB page for each film)
For those who want to protest against the government’s decision I suggest contacting your local MP, Conservative Lucy Frazer for those who are in the South East Cambs constituency.
Stonewall has prepared an email template, you can use it to send an email directly from their page:
https://www.stonewall.org.uk/our-work/campaigns/ban-conversion-therapy