UK proposes conversion therapy ban with five-year prison term

MANCHESTER, England (CN) — Britain’s government on Thursday unveiled draft legislation to ban conversion practices aimed at changing an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, with offenders facing up to five years in prison.

The proposed Conversion Practices Bill would create criminal offenses for conduct intended to change or suppress a person’s LGBT+ identity when it causes serious physical or psychological harm.

Courts could impose unlimited fines, prison sentences of up to five years, or both.

The government said victims have reported beatings, rape, threats, manipulation and exorcisms carried out in attempts to change who they are.

Ministers say gaps in existing laws on domestic abuse, coercive control and harassment have left victims without adequate protection.

The measure marks the latest effort to end a practice successive British governments have pledged to ban but never outlawed.

Years of stalled promises

Efforts to ban conversion practices have stretched across multiple Conservative governments. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged a ban in 2022 but faced criticism after proposing to exclude transgender people from some protections.

Subsequent Conservative administrations failed to bring legislation before Parliament despite repeated commitments to act.

The government also released findings Thursday from a consultation conducted by the previous Conservative administration between 2021 and 2022.

The consultation received more than 28,500 responses and found 68% of respondents supported government action to end conversion practices. It also found 61% backed creating a new criminal offense and 58% supported the proposed penalties.

Respondents frequently cited the physical and psychological harms of conversion practices, including depression, anxiety and long-term emotional distress.

Equalities Minister Olivia Bailey, the government official overseeing the legislation, said legal loopholes have allowed perpetrators to continue targeting LGBT+ people.

“Conversion practices are driven by the false belief that being LGBT+ is shameful and can be forcibly changed,” Bailey said. “No one should face abuse just because of who they are.”

The bill would also make it a crime to encourage or assist abusive conversion practices carried out overseas against British citizens or residents.

It would create court-issued protection orders, similar to those used in forced marriage and female genital mutilation cases, allowing authorities to intervene before abuse occurs.

Safeguards for healthcare and free speech

The government sought to reassure healthcare professionals and free speech advocates by limiting the law’s scope to abusive conduct that causes serious harm.

As such, the legislation would not criminalize personal beliefs, discussions about sexuality or gender identity, or legitimate medical treatment, ministers said.

Dr. Hilary Cass, who led an independent review of gender identity services for children and young people in England, welcomed the draft bill’s definition of conversion practices and its healthcare exemption.

“It is important that healthcare professionals providing much needed holistic care to young people feel confident that they are able to do their job without fear of litigation,” Cass said.

Advocacy groups that have long campaigned for a ban praised the proposal while urging lawmakers to ensure the final legislation is comprehensive.

Jasmine O’Connor, co-chief executive of Galop, an LGBT+ anti-abuse charity, said the legislation is urgently needed, pointing to evidence that conversion practices continue across Britain and often take covert forms that existing laws do not address.

Simon Blake, chief executive of LGBT+ rights group Stonewall, said the practices amount to abuse and leave people at risk of serious harm. He described the bill as a “testament to the hard work of campaigners and survivors who have bravely shared their stories and refused to give up.”

The Church of England, the country’s established church, backed the proposal.

The Bishop of Manchester, David Walker, said he welcomed the bill.

“This work is long overdue and comes after the General Synod of the Church of England voted, by a very large majority, in favor of the government bringing forward a ban in 2017," Walker said.

The legislation will now undergo scrutiny before it is formally introduced in Parliament.

If approved by Parliament, the law would apply in England and Wales.

Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.

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