IDAHOBIT 2024: Banning conversion therapy for all

Trigger Warning: This blog contains discussions of conversion therapy, its practices, and impact.

Every year, 17 May marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. The theme for 2024 is ‘No one left behind: equality, freedom and justice for all’, prompting a closer look at some of the areas in which inequality is at its most stark. This blog will discuss the practice of conversion therapy, its history and the recent political developments in this area, which have as yet not resulted in a universal ban in the UK.

“Conversion therapy”, as described by the UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, is an “umbrella term describing interventions of a wide-ranging nature that have in common the belief that a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity can and should be changed.” Conversion therapy includes a multitude of practices such as: aversion therapy, electroshock or electroconvulsive therapy (“ECT”), eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (“EDMR”), corrective rape, hypnotherapy and attempts to alter behaviour to what is considered heterosexual or more stereotypically feminine or masculine.

The practice of conversion therapy took root in 1948 following the WHO’s classification of homosexuality as a “sexual deviation”, representing an underlying personality disorder. It was not until 2022 that homosexuality was entirely removed from the International Classification of Diseases by the WHO, and that “gender incongruence and transsexualism” were removed from the mental and behavioural disorders chapter (but moved into a new chapter on the conditions related to sexual health). While these changes reflect a new scientific attitude and approach to homosexuality and gender non-conformity, there is a long and ingrained history of stigmatisation with which the LGBTQ+ community around the world still continues to grapple.

In 2017, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by over 25 health, counselling and psychotherapy organisations in the UK, including NHS England, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, making clear that conversion therapy was “unethical, potentially harmful and not supported by evidence”. Indeed, those subjected to these practices had over the years reported no or low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, social isolation, suicide attempts, and PTSD. Beyond the UK, in 2020, the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims and the UN Independent Expert denounced conversion therapy as amounting to torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment as defined under international law. The UN Independent Expert recommended the ban of conversion therapy globally.

Since then, ten states have implemented direct bans applicable to all perpetrators and all victims of conversion therapy, however Malta is the only state which explicitly prohibits the practice by both professionals and non-professionals, as well as banning referrals. The rest of the world has much to learn.

According to the National LGBT survey in 2017, 7% of LGBTQ people in the UK have been offered or undergone conversion therapy. LGBTQ+ people of colour are twice as likely to undergo conversion therapy and trans people are nearly twice as likely to be targeted. While striking in themselves, the statistics also potentially do not reflect the true extent – conversion practices are often covert, poorly documented in the UK and all surveys are reliant on self-reporting, which for many reasons may not be reliable. The majority of conversion practices were reported to have been carried out by religious organisations, and 19% by healthcare or medical professions.

In October 2021, the UK Government launched a consultation on banning conversion therapy, stating that the evidence was clear that conversion therapy does not work and can have long and lasting damage to its victims. The consultation ran until February 2022 and the Government’s response has yet to be published. During the last session of Parliament, the Government stated its intention to publish a draft bill prohibiting conversion therapy by the end of the session. However, no draft bill was published, and the topic was absent from the King’s Speech in November.

Nevertheless, there are currently two Private Members’ Bills before Parliament on the issue, one before each House. There has been continual back-and-forth on the Bills, running parallel to the public discourse around gender identity, about whether the ban should apply only to conversion therapy targeting sexual orientation, or should include gender identity also. The Government previously warned of the "unintended consequences" of extending the ban to gender identity-related practices, which might affect teachers, parents and therapists helping children who are struggling with their gender. It has however been possible in other countries to implement a ban which still allows for explorative therapies.

On IDAHOBIT, we acknowledge the homophobia, biphobia and transphobia which still exist in our society today. Conversion therapy remains one of the key areas of harm and exploitation for the LGBTQ+ community in the UK, and we continue to hope for the implementation of a universal ban of all practices relating to both sexual orientation and gender identity, leaving no one behind.

If you feel affected by the issues raised in this article, please visit the Ban Conversion Therapy website for a list of support services.

Further information

Kingsley Napley is committed to bringing colleagues and allies together in a shared aim of creating an LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace and community, where we can all reach our full potential without fear of discrimination. Find out more here. The previous blogs of our LGBTQ+ & Allies Network can also be found here.