‘Conversion Therapy’ Still Available, As Call Grows To Make It Illegal
November 10, 2020People in Warwickshire who feel they might be gay are being offered LGBT+ so-called 'conversion therapy', it has been revealed.
LGBT+ 'conversion therapy' refers to any form of treatment or psychotherapy that aims to change a person's sexual orientation or to suppress a person's gender identity.
The practice has been condemned by major UK therapy professional bodies and the NHS, and in July Boris Johnson vowed to ban it, describing it as “absolutely abhorrent”.
But in the meantime, LGBT+ 'conversion therapy' is still happening, and it is taking place in the UK.
“It is happening in Warwickshire right now, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was happening in Coventry too,” Daniel Browne said recently, according to ‘Coventry Telegraph’.
Mr Browne , who is chairman of Warwickshire Pride, said that the practice is alive and well locally, and even if it is made illegal the authorities will need to take steps to enforce the ban.
“The community feels that it's long overdue and that conversion therapy is a form of torture. Conversion therapy is happening in Warwickshire right now, it's legal.
“It's curing people of being gay, that's the thought behind it.”
He added: “To give you an example of what's happening in Warwickshire, we are currently supporting someone at Warwickshire Pride who has been offered conversion therapy by a church they attend locally.
“The church has pushed this and strongly believes the person needs to be cured of being gay. This is deeply distressing for the individual, and it's also distressing and psychologically damaging for other LGBT+ people who have been offered or told they need conversion therapy.
“Sadly it tends to come from religious institutions, from various churches. It's crazy to think that it's still been happening because it hasn't been made illegal, there is so much evidence to show that it's a form of torture.”
And what does 'conversion therapy' actually look like? Mr Browne said: “It involves a lot of counselling, exploring why they are gay, why they are having these feelings, conversations about why it is unacceptable, immoral.
“Quite often people undergoing this are given tasks such as getting a partner of the opposite sex, doing all they can to suppress those feelings that they are naturally having.
“It's quite varied [ages] in my experience, young and older people are being offered it.”
Read related myGwork articles here:
Religious Leaders Urge Boris Johnson To Ban Conversion Therapy
Boris Johnson Vows To Ban Conversion Therapy
MEPs Condemn LGBT+ ‘Conversion’ Therapy In Appeal To European Commission
UN Expert States Canada’s Bill To Outlaw LGBT+ ‘Conversion’ Therapy Has Global Influence
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