Gay ‘cure’ therapy could finally be banned under a new law in the UK
(Channel 4)
A new government proposal could result in gay ‘cure’ therapy finally being made illegal in the UK.
Gay ‘cure’ therapy – an unlicensed procedure which sees individuals and institutions attempt to make gay people straight – could be outlawed in the United Kingdom under new government proposals to be unveiled on Tuesday.
The legislation will be declared alongside the government’s LGBT+ ‘action plan’ which will present its next steps to support the community in the UK on Tuesday, reported Buzzfeed News.
The Human Rights Campaign has been lobbying for the outlawing of ‘cures’ (HRC)
The plan has been crafted in response to the UK government’s LGBT+ survey, which asked the LGBT+ community about their experiences in the UK as a queer person.
Gay ‘cure’ therapy, which is commonly known as gay conversion therapy, has been known to be carried out in several Evangelical institutions across the UK.
Facilitators have been known to use electric shock therapy, nauseau-inducing drugs and other forms of torture to ‘rid’ a gay person of their sexuality.
One man who underwent gay conversion therapy in the US described the experience as akin to “soul murder.”
“I was given an ultimatum by my father: go into conversion therapy or I won’t see my family again and get an education,” Garrard Conley told PinkNews.
Conley is calling for all countries to ban gay ‘cure’ therapy (PinkNews)
Conley, who was part of a cult in Memphis, Tennessee, said that he couldn’t believe “all the years I lost” thanks to the treatment.
“When you’re deep in the brainwashing, you don’t know you’re in a cult,” Conley explained.
“There are still days when I feel extreme bouts of shame that wash over – I think about all the years I lost.
“How do you possibly get those years of your life back?”
Malta became the first nation in the EU to outlaw gay conversion therapy back in 2016.
Malta is known to be a world leader in LGBT+ rights (Getty)
Politicians voted through the Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression Bill, labelling gay cure therapy as “deceptive and harmful”.
The new ban will see anyone found guilty fined up to $5,000, or even sent behind bars for up to five years in the most serious cases.
