Latest updates: Starmer says it is legitimate to ask questions about investment held by chancellor’s wife Akshata Murthy
- Boris Johnson backtracks over LGBT conversion practices ban after backlash
- Third of British LGBTQ+ people experience abuse by relatives
Here is some more reaction to last night’s partial U-turn by the government over its proposed ban on conversion practices.
This is from Paul Farmer, the chief executive of Mind, the mental health charity.
While last night’s U-turn on the reprehensible decision to drop the conversion ‘therapy’ ban is welcome, we are deeply disappointed to see that the UK government has chosen to exclude trans people from the ban on these harmful practices. The government’s own research suggests that trans people are much more likely to have undergone, or been offered, conversion therapy, so this exclusion simply makes no sense.
We recognise there are complexities around this area of the ban, as it is essential that any action does not inadvertently restrict access to therapy which seeks to help people questioning their gender identity or sexual orientation, without the aim of ‘converting’ them. But the government cannot simply give up on trans people because protecting them is legislatively complex. Bans that include trans people have been implemented in other countries. Trans people deserve better. We need a complete ban, without loopholes, which protects everybody.
We are deeply concerned by the leaked documents shared by ITV News last night which suggested that the government is reconsidering the ban on conversion therapy for LGBT+ people in the UK.
Despite the supposed subsequent U-turn on this, there are indications that the ban might go ahead only for lesbian, gay and bi people, leaving trans people unprotected. Let us be clear – a ban without our trans siblings is not a ban.
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