Minister for Women and Equalities Bridget Phillipson has vowed to deliver Labour's manifesto commitment to ban conversion practices, insisting that no one should be "abused, shamed or threatened into denying who they are".
Writing this weekend, the Labour Party chair said conversion practices were fuelled by "the vile lie that being LGBT+ is something to be fixed", and that the government was finally acting after almost a decade of broken promises since a ban was first pledged in 2018.
Survivors have described being shamed in front of a congregation, pushed to the ground in an effort to "remove the devil", or pressured to take medication to "cure" their sexuality.
Bridget Phillipson: 'Now is the time for Parliament to come together'
"Our draft bill has been published for scrutiny, and we welcome the opportunity to test and strengthen it," Bridget Phillipson said. "A ban has been supported across the political spectrum for many years - now is the time for Parliament to come together to get it right."
What the draft bill does
The draft legislation would make it a crime to try to abusively change someone's sexuality or transgender identity, whether through physical force, coercion or abuse of power. It would also make it an offence to arrange or encourage for someone to be taken abroad for abusive conversion practices, closing a loophole in the law.
New Conversion Practice Protection Orders, similar to those used to prevent female genital mutilation, would allow action to protect people before harm happens rather than only afterwards.
'The legal bar set is high'
The minister stressed that freedom of expression, religious practice and parents' decisions would not be affected. A prosecution would have to prove an intent to change someone's identity or sexual orientation, that the conduct was abusive under the Domestic Abuse Act definition, and that it caused serious physical or psychological harm, so conversations between parents and children, including difficult ones, would not be caught.
Safeguards have been drawn up with healthcare professionals to protect legitimate healthcare and exploratory therapies, and the proposals have been backed by the British Psychological Society, Dr Hilary Cass and NHS trusts.
"A society that values freedom must protect everyone's right to live openly and safely as themselves," Bridget Phillipson said. "This draft bill draws a clear line: abuse intended to change who someone is has no place in modern Britain."
