By Nichola Marshall

Conversion therapy is a global issue and is practiced worldwide.

In 2019 the UK Government committed to banning conversion therapy however five years later the LGBTQ+ community are still waiting as the years continue to add up.

What is Conversion Therapy

Conversion therapy is the practice of attempting to change or suppress someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity, so they conform with cis heterosexual norms. It can also be known as reparative therapy, sexual reorientation therapy, gay cure therapy and by many other therapy guises. It can take several forms from talking therapies, prayers, abstinence groups, weekend workshops to more extreme forms such as physical violence, child correction camps, corrective rape, exorcism and more.

It is very important to note that conversion therapy is different from professional services providing support to people such as counselling, with any aspect of their gender identity or sexual orientation. Conversion therapy has one main intended outcome, to ensure that a person has the ‘correct’ gender or sexual orientation. In comparison to professional, appropriate, healthy and supportive therapy allowing a person to explore themselves without an intended outcome.

The UN in 2020 called for a global end to all conversion therapy practices as it is (almost) universally agreed to be a very harmful practice. They referenced a 2019 report that found 9 out of 10 conversion therapy survivors suffered trauma and that children were regularly the victims. The report also showed there was a clear link between conversion therapy for gender identity and a lifelong suicide risk.

Several countries have already passed legislation banning or restricting conversion therapy with several more proposing or consulting on legislation on the topic.

Conversion Therapy in the UK

Quantifying an accurate number of people that have been subjected to conversion therapy is a very difficult task for many reasons, some of these are:

• Survey samples can be self-selected,
• The practice can be hidden,
• Victims can be children,
• Family involvement could stop individuals from coming forward,
• Conversion therapy can take many forms with many names,
• Shame.

The UK Government references the 2017 National LGBT Survey for their figures provided in their analysis of conversion therapy. This is a self-selected sample group with 2% reporting they had undergone conversion therapy and 5% repotting they had been offered some form of it.

Galop, a UK based LGBT anti-abuse charity, in a study from 2023 found the statistics to be much higher with 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ and 2 in 5 trans people have been subjected to forms of conversion therapy. 56% of people who had experienced conversion therapy were subjected to it by members of their own family.

It isn’t difficult to find conversion therapy options in your local area, I was able to find an in-person group 30 minutes from my own home who advertise online. There will be more options outside of this which are hidden.

A quick search online will bring up an abundance of online groups, literature and apparent therapists that offer help for a fee.

Banning Conversion Therapy in the UK

In 2018 the UK Government launched their LGBT Action Plan where they announced 75 commitments to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals over the course of that parliament.

One of the key commitments highlighted was “bringing forward proposals to end the practice of conversion therapy in the UK”. This was included in the Queen’s speech in 2019 as part of the government’s legislative package for that year.

As part of the Action Plan the LGBT Advisory Panel was setup, in 2021 three members of the panel resigned citing the governments delays in meeting their commitment on conversion therapy as their reason. One month later Liz Truss, then the Equalities Minister, disbanded the panel.

In 2022 it was leaked to the media that the government would no longer be keeping their commitment and would not be pursuing a ban. After a negative media and public reaction the government announced it would be look to ban conversion therapy only for gay and bisexual individuals excluding conversion therapy for gender identity.

Conversion therapy was left out of the King’s speech 2023, raising more concerns and questions around the reasons for the delay and the government’s commitment.

In January 2024 the UK Government announced that legislation will be put forward to ban conversion therapy including all LGBTQ+ groups, this has been met with an apprehensive response due to the previous changes and delays.

The Scottish Government appears to be no further forward than the UK Government, they are currently running a consultation period until 2^nd April 2024 on their proposed ban of conversion therapy. After previously committing to introducing legislation by 2023. There is no longer a clear timeline on when legislation would be introduced.

Opposition

Banning conversion therapy is largely supported across the board by political parties, charities, medical professionals, religious organisations and many more.

However there is opposition.

Some religious groups such as the Evangelical Alliance argue that it could infringe on religious freedoms, religious teachings and individuals ability to choose conversion therapy.

Some anti-trans groups such as the LGB Alliance support a ban on gay-conversion therapy but oppose the inclusion of the trans community. They argue that it could cause harm to children through hasty transitions and a lack of support.

It would be difficult to discuss the opposition without considering the current cultural climate towards the trans community. Between 2009 and 2019 there was a 400% increase in reporting on trans issues in the UK, which has been very heated and divisive leading to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) releasing guidance on reporting.

Next Steps

The UK prides itself on being a leader in LGBTQ+ rights, in 2018 the UK was one of the top four countries in Europe and referenced this in the LGBT Action Plan.

In 2023 we are no longer in the top, there are 16 countries in Europe who have better policy and legal human rights for LGBTQ+ individuals according to ILGA-Europe.

The UK is no longer a leader, will the government step up and keep its commitments? After 5 years of delays, we’ll need to keep waiting.