I have been contacted by constituents about Conversion Therapy.
As the Member of Parliament for Milton Keynes South, I have included below my response:
I take this issue very seriously and I know that my colleagues in the Equalities Office remain committed to tackling conversion therapy in the UK.
As a gay man, I have been absolutely clear that this practice has no place in society. Being lesbian, gay, or bisexual is not an illness to be treated or cured. It is damaging to suggest otherwise.
I am encouraged that this view is shared by the head of the NHS, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the UK Council for Psychotherapy, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and the British Medical Association. Each of these bodies have concluded that such therapy is unethical and potentially harmful.
The Government Equalities’ Office commissioned a large-scale Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) survey in 2017. Sadly, two per cent of respondents to the national LGBT survey said they had undergone conversion therapy in an attempt to ‘cure’ them of being LGBT. Unfortunately, in this survey, what conversion therapy entailed was not defined, nor were the respondents asked whether or not the conversion therapy referred to in their answer was offered in the UK.
I very much welcome the fact that the Government is delivering on its promise and will legislate to ban conversion therapy to protect LGBT people from this harmful practice.
Furthermore, I understand that the Government launched a consultation on how Ministers are planning to ban practices of so called 'conversion therapy'. The consultation was extended until February 2022 to allow for ample opportunity for all those to contribute their views including faith groups, LGBT organisations, counselling bodies and charities.
I am aware that the Government is proceeding with its legislative proposals to ban conversion therapy for lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Alongside this, I have been assured that the Government is carrying out separate work on the issue of transgender conversion therapy, this is to ensure that any legislative measures brought forward will not have any unintended consequences. I understand that this is a legally complex area, and as such the Government have a responsibility that any of these unintended consequences are not written into legislation, particularly in the case of under eighteens.
I would like to reassure you that the results will be analysed and will inform the Government's next steps in preparing legislation shortly.
I am open minded and sympathetic to gender issues for those who want to transition. I want to get to a point where trans-conversion is also banned and I will work with colleagues to progress this. I think it is important to acknowledge that there are numerous complexities, as well as valid points on both sides. It is my fervent wish that this discussion takes place in a mature way. Unfortunately, some comments I have seen, and been made aware of, are horrible and very unhelpful – I would encourage people to keep an open mind.
I am positive about the steps that have been made so far in the UK to achieve LGBT equality and am confident that this good work will continue.
