UK Government Is Banning Gay Conversion Therapy
The British government is planning to ban gay conversion therapy in an effort to boost acceptance and avoid discrimination. This £4.5 million initiative comes after a survey of the LGBT community found that of the 108,000 participants, two percent had undergone conversion therapy whilst another 5 percent of respondents were offered it.
The survey also found that more than two-thirds of same-sex couples in the LGBT community will actively avoid holding hands whilst in public out of fear of negative reactions. In response to these findings, British Prime Minister Theresa May said “no one should ever have to hide who they love.”
“[I am] struck by just how many respondents said they cannot be open about their sexual orientation or avoid holding hands with their partner in public for fear of a negative reaction. No one should ever have to hide who they are or who they love,” the PM said.
“This LGBT action plan will set out concrete steps to deliver real and lasting change across society, from health and education to tackling discrimination and addressing the burning injustices that LGBT people face.”
The announcement comes during Pride Week in London, and considers “legislative and non-legislative options to prohibit promoting, offering or conducting conversion therapy.” Conversion therapies have their roots back in the early 1900’s and treated sexuality as a mental illness that could be cured, however there has been little-to-no evidence that conversion therapies actually work.
According to the government’s survey, four out of ten respondents said they had experienced violence or hate incidents due to their sexuality, and 90% of these went unreported. The survey also found that almost a quarter of respondents (23%) received negative reactions in the workplace.
70 percent of respondents also feared of being open about their sexuality due to how others might react, while two-thirds of transgender responders said they actively avoided being open about their sexuality.
