By Carolina Piras
Stonewall UK, alongside a coalition of mental health practitioners, faith organisations, and LGBT+ charities, has recently launched a campaign to ban the practice of conversion therapy for LGBTQIA+ people, encouraging them to email their MPs to put an end to this practice.
The coalition has urgently recalled the UK Government to act, after waiting almost 1000 days for a comprehensive legislative ban of the conversation therapy to stop it from being legally practised.
Despite being condemned by mainly all major UK health services, is still happening – legally – in the country.
Jayne Ozanne, Director of the Ozanne Foundation and member of the Government’s LGBT Advisory Panel said: “It’s been nearly one thousand days since the UK Government committed to end conversion therapy, but lesbian, gay, bi and trans people in the UK today are still being subjected to this abusive practice often, sadly, in religious settings.
“It’s time for the Government to take action and ensure a comprehensive ban that fully protects all.”
It’s common for a lot of people to think that this doesn’t happen nowadays and is a practice that just belongs to the past, but is actually not and is putting many people of the LGBTQIA+ community through a lifetime trauma.
In a press release, Stonewall defined the practice of conversion therapy as a ‘disgusting practice that seeks to change someone’s sexual orientation – or lack of – gender identity’.
Who is Stonewall?
Founded in 1989 by a small group of people who wanted to break down the barriers of racism and homophobia, Stonewall is Britain’s leading charity for LGBTQIA+ equality.
Stonewall still fights and stands up for LGBTQIA rights and to create a world where everyone can feel accepted and safeguarded, by campaigning and challenging the government to make laws to protect everyone and ensure that everyone can be their authentic selves.
It works in partnership with a growing network of more than 850 organisations to make an actual change and fight any form of discrimination as homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in our society, as well as empowering LGBT people.
What is conversion therapy?
Conversion therapy is a practice which attempts to erase, repress, cure or alter someone’s sexual orientation or, in some cases, gender identity.
It can be put into practice in different ways: psychiatric, psychological, religious or through cultural interventions.
“It is extremely harmful to those who experience it, often causing lifelong mental health challenges,” Stonewall said in the press release.
BCT Matthew Hyndman, Co-founder BCT Campaign (he/him) said: ‘LGBTQIA+ people don’t need to be ‘cured’ or change who we are, and any intervention claiming to do this is untruthful,, unethical, and preys on those of us who are in most need of support and community.’
Nancy Kelley, Chief Executive, Stonewall (she/her) said: ‘Being LGBTQIA+ is beautiful, and there is no place in our society for any so-called ‘interventions’ which tell us otherwise. The UK Government must stop dragging its feet and make good on its promise to bring in a full legal ban, and put a stop to conversion therapy in the UK for good.’
Data, figures and pledges from UK Government
Data and figures from the National LGBT Survery found that 7% of people from LGBT+ community have been offered or forced to undergo to conversion therapy, transgender people were found to be twice as likely to have been offered or undergone conversion therapy (13%), while the most at-risk category appears to be asexual people with 10%.
On behalf of the LGBT Action Plan 2018, ex-Minister for Women and Equalities Penny Mordaunt at the launch of the LGBT Survey Research Report and LGBT Action Plan event, made a clear speech pledging that banning conversion therapy would be one of the top priorities of the plan, referring to it as an ‘abhorrent practice’.
Leni Morris, CEO, Galop (she/her) highlights that by pledging to ban the conversion therapies in the LGBT Action Plan 2018, the government recognised that people in LGBTQIA+ community in the UK are suffering abuse and violence. Morris added: “The Government must not only recognise these victims, but fund specialist support services to help those in danger in the UK right now to find safety.”
By still haven’t take actions after a thousand days, the Government deliberately still ignores a clear violation of human rights in the attempt to change someone’s nature and turning them into what better should fit our society.
Hannah Muck, 31 year-old writer and part of the LGBTQIA+ community, said she was “amazed to find out about the Stonewall’s iniatiative” and “immediately wrote to her MP”.
“Being queer is completely normal, is a state that also hundreds of species have, and has nothing to do with not being healthy. On the contrary, is not something that needs to be cured. The role of counselling and therapy should be self-acceptance and healing from traumas, buti s clearly not what conversion therapy is. They are trying to change someone’s nature, and we can’t just keep let this happen.”
The petition
The petition encouraging people to write to their MPs became viral in the past month, particularly on Twitter, started from the Stonewall’s Twitter account. Many people launched the hashtag to show support, including activists and MPs standing up for LGBTQIA+’s rights.
The coalition also campaigns to supports victims and survivors of conversion therapy and encourages everyone who believes in LGBTQIA+ equality to get involved and take action, by contacting their MP and sharing the importance of this harmful practice on people.
Dr. Igi Moon, Chair of MoU (they/them) explained that anyone who wants to “provide them with a safe and respectful environment in which they can explore who they are without judgement or fear, will support this campaign in bringing an end to conversion therapy”.
Leave a Reply