By Le Figaro with AFP
Posted 1 hour ago, Updated 1 hour ago
UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Michelle Donelan announced the initiative on Tuesday 17 January. DANIEL LEAL / AFP
Originally, the UK government intended to ban these practices for gays and lesbians, with the exception of transgender people.
The UK government will publish bill to ban all conversion therapies, including those targeting transgender people.
Tuesday, January 17’s announcement comes after several government retractions of a 2018 promise about these therapies, which claim to be able to alter a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
An initiative welcomed by the associations
“The government will publish a bill setting out a proposed approach to banning conversion practices,” Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan announced in a written statement to parliament on Tuesday.
“We recognize the strength of feelings regarding harmful conversion practices and remain committed to protecting people from these practices,” she added. “The text will protect everyone, including people who are transgender because of their sexuality or because they are transgender,” she said. This announcement was welcomed by associations such as LGBTQ+ organization Stonewall.
Also read the Senate retouched text on “conversion therapies”.
“The government needs to release the bill and an upcoming timetable as soon as possible,” argued Stonewall chief executive Nancy Kelley, pointing out that the government’s own figures show that 13% of trans people and 7% of all people are LGBTQA+ were offered or conversion therapy.
After the government announced last spring that it would lift the ban on conversion therapy, it quickly reversed its decision in the face of an outcry. But he then intended to ban these practices only for homosexuals and lesbians, with the exception of transgender people.
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