by Josephine Bartosch, The Critic
What seems tolerant and progressive actually attacks freedom and family life
In the background, a group of young lads in suits were spluttering at each other about business rates with the boyish enthusiasm of plane-spotters. Smiling indulgently to myself, I looked down and saw a cold baked bean left over from lunch, fused to my top with cheese. After heading to the loo to scrub it off, and emerging with a large wet patch around my left boob, I went to hear some exquisitely well-presented Conservative women talk with passion and intellect about the Equality Act.
Looking at these hyper-professional and dedicated party members, it occurred to me that the Tories would never be my spiritual home. But despite that, I don’t think there’s another party out there where women would be so welcome to speak about their rights; nor lesbians, gays and bisexuals theirs. And for that, I am grateful.
I was there, at the invitation of the LGB Alliance to talk about the draft bill to ban conversion practices. What has been proposed is so disingenuous it would’ve made Jonathan Aitken blush. It sounds like a bill to stop mad homophobes from strapping electrodes to the foreheads of gay men. In fact, the Bill does something much worse — it criminalises any dissent from the opinions of trans activism.
The draft Bill’s definition of a conversion practice includes any conduct intended to influence whether someone has, or believes they have, a particular sexual orientation or gender identity. There doesn’t need to be any relationship between the person who considers themselves a victim, or the alleged perpetrator. “Abuse” is left for the courts to decide, with a list that includes economic, psychological and emotional pressure. If the practice causes serious alarm or distress that substantially affects someone’s day-to-day life, the offender faces up to five years in prison.