Criminalised Words

By Lisa Nolland, Marriage, Sex and Culture Group.

APPEAL

An urgent plea to submit your views on the appalling Gay Conversion Therapy Bill by MONDAY 5 PM 16^th November.   

If passed it will impact not only mental health professionals, but pastors, other professionals, even private conversations within the family.     

• It has no defence of reasonableness, so following the Equality Act, workplace regulations or schools’ statutory safeguarding guidance is no excuse.

• It requires no intention to cause harm, only an intention to change someone’s sexual orientation or transgender identity, or what they believe about it.

• A single conversation, refusal or rebuke could be enough, because no pattern of behaviour is needed.

• There is no exception for parents, and only a narrow one for healthcare professionals. Above from the excellent ‘Sex Matters’: https://sex-matters.org/posts/updates/conversion-practices-bill-who-is-at-risk-of-criminalisation/

Even in conservative countries like Hungary, family groups are worried by the increasing influence of Woke. One reason: many conservatives are starting to sit this one out. Hmmm…   

But GOOD news: Northern Ireland appears to be abandoning its LGBTQ blasphemy laws (in effect) because so many have responded saying, ’NO, we don’t want it!’  so it can be done! https://www.christiantoday.com/news/ni-conversion-therapy-ban-dead-in-the-water-after-consultation

Please do not assume others will have more time or inclination than you do, and yes, it is a total faff—who needs it? — but a really important one.     

Thank you for doing what you can!

Lisa Nolland.

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Petitions (if you can do nothing else)

Greater Love: https://www.greaterlove.org.uk/letter-2/ (for both Christian leaders but also lay folks; all signatories are counted, but separately)

Free Speech Union: https://stoptheconversiontherapyban.uk/petition/

Resources

For Christians 

https://christianconcern.com/action/submit-evidence-to-the-conversion-practices-bill-committee

For Parents

https://parentpower.family/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Consultation-on-the-Draft-Conversion-Practices-Bill-ParentPower-Guidance.pdf

For those concerned about Free Speech

https://freespeechunion.org/news/have-your-say-on-the-governments-conversion-practices-bill

https://stoptheconversiontherapyban.uk

For those concerned about marriage

https://www.c4m.org.uk/marriage-support/giving-evidence-on-the-conversion-practices-bill