Labour to include banning conversion therapy in King’s Speech
July 18, 2024A prohibition on so-called ‘conversion therapy’ has been included in the King’s Speech, affirming Labour’s dedication to ending this harmful practice.
King Charles III delivered the first King’s Speech for the newly elected Labour government during the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday, July 17.
The speech, written by the government and read by the monarch, outlines the legislative agenda for the upcoming parliamentary session, which includes draft bills on the economy, environment, housing, and policing.
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Before the speech, Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the “ambitious legislative agenda” would focus on “unlocking growth and improving living standards for working people.”
As ‘MSN’ reports, during the speech, the King announced that a draft bill would be introduced to ban conversion practices, cementing Labour’s plans to outlaw it after committing to a “full, trans-inclusive, ban” back in January.
Conversion therapy refers to the abusive practices employed by anti-LGBTQ+ groups or individuals to forcibly change a person's sexuality or gender identity.
This marks the third instance a ban on conversion therapy has been promised in a monarch’s speech, with the first two occurring under the previous Conservative government.
Reacting to the announcement, Jayne Ozanne, a gay evangelical and director of the Ozanne Foundation—which collaborates with religious organisations to eliminate discrimination based on sexuality or gender—posted on social media: “As [Ban Conversion Therapy] Chair I welcome Labour’s announcement that they will bring forward a fully inclusive ban on #conversionpractices, which will finally ensure the protections #LGBT+ people need & deserve. I led the call from @churchofengland for a ban in 2017 & it is now well overdue.”
In a statement from Ban Conversion Therapy itself, the organization acknowledged “years of relentless campaigning, delays, and broken promises” and expressed appreciation for the government’s commitment to banning these practices.
“Now, we need a fully inclusive bill with no loopholes, that protects all LGBTQ+ people from abuse,” the organisation posted.
Ben Bradshaw, who was a Labour MP for over 25 years and advocated for LGBTQ+ rights before retiring at the previous election, commented: “Good news that the new @UKLabour Government will finally ban the psychological abuse of LGBT people sometimes called conversion ‘therapy’ after repeated broken promises on this from the Tories. Long overdue.”
LGBTQ+ charity and advocacy organisation Stonewall also welcomed the announcement.
“We’ve campaigned relentlessly to ban these abusive practices. Now, we need a comprehensive bill with no loopholes and no delays,” the charity posted.
“The UK Govt needs to publish an inclusive, comprehensive Bill to #BanConversionTherapy in all forms, for all LGBTQ+ people and in all settings, as soon as possible.”
“Conversion practices are abuse, and they must be banned once and for all,” Stonewall added.
The King’s Speech followed pressure from over 50 LGBTQ+ organisations urging Starmer to ban these practices once and for all.
The groups, including Amnesty International UK, Mermaids, Not a Phase, the Peter Tatchell Foundation, and Queer Britain, sent a letter to the Labour leader to “congratulate him on his ‘landmark victory’ and to urge him to act swiftly to fulfill his manifesto pledge.”
“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,” the letter addressed to Starmer read.
“Given the serious impact of these degrading practices, a ban must be without loopholes and cannot allow for exemptions of any form,” the statement continued, referring to the current bill proposed by the former Conservative government, which contained a ‘loophole’ for ‘consenting adults.’
A ban on conversion therapy was initially promised by the Tory party in 2018 when then-prime minister Theresa May supported trans-inclusive legislation.
Her successor, Boris Johnson, considered abandoning efforts to ban it but later decided to push forward with a law that only protected gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. After public backlash, the government again reversed its stance and announced the ban would include trans individuals.
In 2022, as the debate on the ban's future continued while the Tories chose Johnson's successor, May told PinkNews she didn’t “want to see the government sliding back” on LGBTQ+ rights.
“I think much has been achieved over the last 50 years since the first Pride march, but there is more to do,” she said.
After Sunak reintroduced the trans-inclusive ban in 2023, Starmer then vowed in January that the “psychologically damaging abuse” inflicted by conversion therapy would be ended for all LGBTQ+ individuals.
Read related myGwork articles here:
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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