UK Parliamentarians Press for Ban on So-Called 'Conversion Therapy'
A group of British lawmakers that belong to a group called the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global LGBT+ Rights has issued an open letter calling for the government to follow through on a promise made in 2018 to ban the practice of so-called "conversion therapy" in the UK.
The group is just one of a number of APPGs, but text at the group's site says that it is "one of the largest APPGs in the Parliament," and explains that the group provides "a forum for parliamentarians and organizations across the public, private and third sectors to work together to champion LGBT+ rights and push back against abuse and discrimination.
"We principally focus on international LGBT+ rights but we do also include domestic issues within our remit," the text adds.
UK newspaper the Independent reported recently on the government's inaction with regard to a promise to do away with the quack practice, which promises vulnerable people among the LGBTQ demographic that they can be "cured" of the condition of not being heterosexual.
Reputable mental health professionals, however, have stated unequivocally that the practice is utterly ineffectual. Mental health professionals also warn that the inevitable failure of so-called "conversion therapy" can leave those who seek it out depressed, bewildered, and even suicidal.
Recalled The Independent:
In 2018, then-prime minister Theresa May's LGBT action plan said the government would bring forward proposals to "end the practice of conversion therapy" as a priority.
Flash forward to 2020, when Kemi Badenoch, the "equalities minister," told the press that banning the practice is "a very complex issue." Badenoch claimed that those complexities have stymied the government and led to a lack of action.
Such complexities have not stopped twenty American states from banning "conversion therapy" on minors. The country of Canada is considering a nation-wide ban on the practice being inflicted on minors and on unwilling adults, though adults who seek it out voluntarily would be allowed to do so. On a global scope, the United Nations has also called on all nations to ban the practice, which independent expert Victor Madrigal-Borloz called "cruel, inhumane and degrading," and likened to "torture."
Said Madrigal-Borloz: "I am calling for a global ban on conversion therapy."
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global LGBT+ Rights issued a call for "urgent action" to follow through on the government's commitment to do away with the quack practice, declaring that:
Although the UK Government has repeatedly committed to end this abhorrent practice - condemned across the world by medical professionals, human rights experts, and religious leaders - the Officers of the APPG are becoming increasingly concerned by the lack of actual progress since the announcement of the policy to ban this practice almost two years ago.
Continued the declaration:
So-called "conversion therapy" is a dangerous and cruel practice that has an ongoing and devastating impact on the wellbeing of those who have been subject to it. The complexities involved in creating a robust and holistic plan to end so-called "conversion therapy" is not an excuse for inaction.
Minister of Parliament Crispin Blunt, the group's chairperson,
stated:
"The UK must legislate without delay to ban so-called 'conversion therapy.' Delay leaves vulnerable people, meeting what for most is the most profound self-identification challenge of their lives, at the mercy of every conceivable type of quack and religious fundamentalist offering them false truths and certainties when they are at their most uncertain and anxious.
"The grim suicide statistics of this group tells its own story. Further delay would be an unconscionable betrayal of them."
Added Vice Chair Baroness Barker:
"It is unthinkable that in the UK it remains legal to offer so-called 'conversion therapy' to LGBT+ people. We do not need to be 'cured'. What we urgently require is primary legislation that equips those vulnerable to this abhorrent practice with a clear deterrent that they can cite as a form of self-defense."
Badenoch indicated that lawmakers face a situation that is not so cut and dried.
"There is a wide range of practices which may fall within its scope and we want to ensure we have a thorough understanding of the situation in the UK to inform an effective approach."
Badenoch went on to add:
"We will work to deepen our understanding and consider all options for ending the practice of conversion therapy."
Meantime, LGBTQ people, especially youths, remain vulnerable to the misleading message peddled by practitioners of the quack "therapy." Laura Russell of the LGBTQ advocacy organization Stonewall told the Independent about alarming statistics:
"The National LGBT Government survey found that 2 percent of LGBT people have undergone conversion therapy, and a further 5 percent have been offered it. We'd urge the Government to remain committed to take the steps they can to end this harmful practice."