It was in their LGBT+ Action Plan.
In this plan, that you can fully read here, The Conservative government described “gay cures” as “abuse of the worst kind” and therefore promised to end conversion therapy as a priority. But, almost two years later they haven’t still been completely banned as it happened in other countries.
Kemi Badenoch, Equalities Minister, that called conversion therapies “a very complex issue” said that the government had not decided yet how to proceed on this matter, but we’d like to remind them that they promised a formal consultation in July 2019, long before the outbreak of coronavirus.
As we can read also on The Independent , there is still no fixed agenda for this consultation and she also made no mention of the promised one of 2019. She added: “There are a wide range of practices which may fall within its scope and we want to ensure we have a thorough understanding of the situation in the UK to inform an effective approach. […] Before any decision is made on proposals for ending conversion therapy we must understand the problem, the range of options available and the impact they would have. We will work to deepen our understanding and consider all options for ending the practice of conversion therapy.”
My question here is: “what is there to ‘understand’ about these therapies when the whole world know (and sometime ignores) that those ‘cures’ are real abuses on human beings and that they cause some of the worst mental issues one could ever suffer from?”
Some conversion therapy techniques can range from ‘praying the gay away’ to electric shocks and testosterone injections, and it has been demonstrated that the rates of suicide attempts, drug addictions, mental issues and depression is higher in those people who have gone through one of these “cures”.
So what is their plan?
Always speaking to The Independent, a spokesperson from the Conservative Party and Boris Johnson’s team, said that ending the practice might not take the form of a legal ban, as it recently happened in Germany, and that research had been commissioned “to inform different approaches” on the matter.
Apparently they are only buying time.
