50 LGBTQ+ organizations press Keir Starmer to ban conversion therapy upon taking office as prime minister
July 8, 2024Fifty LGBTQ+ organisations have signed an open letter to new Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging him to implement a ban on conversion therapy.
In January, Starmer committed to enacting a trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy if Labour won the general election. The harmful practice involves attempts by anti-LGBTQ+ groups or individuals to forcibly alter a person’s sexuality or gender identity.
Now that the Labour leader is firmly established at 10 Downing Street, more than 50 LGBTQ+ organisations have sent a letter to Starmer to “congratulate him on his ‘landmark victory’ and to urge him to act quickly to fulfill his manifesto promise,” ‘MSN’ reports.
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Sharing the open letter on X (formerly known as Twitter), the Chair of the Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition, Jayne Ozanne, stated: “Given Labour chastised Conservatives for [A] 6+ year delay we expect quick action!”
The letter, addressed to Keir Starmer, reads: “We urge you to move swiftly to bring forward this legislation, given that for far too long perpetrators have been acting with impunity – encouraged by the previous government’s reluctance to implement their promises.
“We recognize the hard work that Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP put into creating broad consensus across the Chamber and see his bill as a good place to start.”
“Given the serious impact of these degrading practices, a ban must be without loopholes and cannot allow for exemptions of any form,” the statement continues, referencing the fact that the current bill proposed by the former Conservative government contains a ‘loophole’ for ‘consenting adults’.
“The Ban Conversion Therapy Legal Forum, chaired by Baroness Helen Kennedy KC, has recommended how best this can be done in the Cooper Report, named after your friend Jonathan Cooper OBE who helped set it up. This recommends a clear yet simple definition of ‘conversion therapy’ as any practice with a predetermined purpose that seeks to change, ‘cure’ or suppress a person’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity.”
It continues: “We stand ready and willing to meet with your Secretary of State for Equalities [Anneliese Dodds] and her team and to support them in this important work. We hope you will consider a package of measures that will ensure a final end to these practices with continued support for survivors alongside educational programs for service providers and safeguarding professionals.”
The letter has been signed by 50 LGBTQ+ organisations, including Amnesty International UK, Mermaids, Not a Phase, the Peter Tatchell Foundation, and Queer Britain.
A ban on conversion practices was first promised by the Conservative Party in 2018 when then-Prime Minister Theresa May supported trans-inclusive legislation.
Her successor, Boris Johnson, later abandoned those plans and opted to advance a law that only protected gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. After public backlash, the government changed its stance again and announced the ban would include trans people.
After Sunak put the trans-inclusive ban back on the agenda in 2023, Starmer then promised in January that the “psychologically damaging abuse” inflicted by conversion therapy would be ended for all LGBTQ+ individuals.
Read related myGwork articles here:
Constituents encouraged to email UK MPs ahead of second reading for ‘conversion therapy’ ban bill
Keir Starmer to outlaw all forms of conversion therapy if Labour wins election
‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban Expected To Be Left Out Of King’s Speech
Rishi Sunak Reported to Roll Back on Plans to Ban Conversion Therapy
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