Ban Conversion Therapy promotes conversion therapy

The second reading of Brighton Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyles’ private members bill to ban conversion therapy is due on March 1^st in the House of Commons.

Russell-Moyle has robustly defended the inclusion of ‘transgender identity’ in the bill, whilst meeting groups with concerns about what this means for children and young people, particularly those who are LGB. There are legitimate worries that a legislative ban would have a chilling effect on therapists and parents by criminalising anything other than the ‘gender affirmative’ approach towards children who declare a ‘transgender identity.’

Recently on Twitter/X Russell-Moyle said this:

“You say theres [sic] no evidence of conversion practice to/from transgender then point to a load of evidence of conversion practice to transgender. What is it? Are people being converted to being transgender and we need this bill or not? On your own terms transgender conversion needs protection.”

Are we really to believe that the proposed bill is designed to equally protect children and young people from being persuaded that they are not gay, but ‘born in the wrong body’? On paper, maybe. The draft bill defines ‘conversion practice’ as

“a course of conduct or activity, the predetermined purpose and intent of which is to change someone’s sexual orientation or to change a person to or from being transgender.”

This use of ‘both ways’ implies equal problems given equal weight. But a gay conversion therapy ban is not ‘both ways’; it is designed to protect gay people, not heterosexuals. Heterosexuals may also be protected, but this is not the problem the bill is designed to solve; it is gay conversion therapy that has the shameful history. Adding ‘transgender identity’ to a gay conversion therapy ban broadcasts to the world that there exists an identical problem for transgender people.

It is a messaging exercise, designed with the knowledge that not many people will check the facts. In this case it is the most cynical pairing of the LGB and the T to date, in a crowded field.

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