Response to today's announcement on conversion therapy by the Government at Westminster

Responding to today’s announcement of a draft Bill banning conversion therapy, Simon Calvert of the Let Us Pray campaign said:

“Everyone deserves to be protected from verbal and physical abuse. But the rhetoric of anti-conversion therapy campaigners makes clear that their target is not just abuse, which is already illegal. Their goal is to outlaw traditional prayers and close down conversations involving those who believe in the concept of 'biological sex'.

“They have weaponised the language of harm, abuse and safeguarding, twisting it in support of their intolerant campaign to criminalise opinions.

“They hold up the conversion therapy ban in the Australian state of Victoria as the model for the rest of the world to follow. But Victoria says their ban covers parents who refuse to consent to their children going on puberty blockers. It says not affirming someone’s gender identity is conversion therapy. It says churches excommunicating members is conversion therapy.

“These are not thing that any democracy worth its salt should ever attempt to outlaw.”

“The Westminster Government has to be very careful that it does not bring forward legislation which takes us down this oppressive path.”