Controversial gay ‘conversion therapies’ and so-called ‘cures’ will be BANNED, Boris Johnson says
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson said gay ‘conversion therapies’ will be banned
- Ministers promised to outlaw the practice in 2018 but has been little progress
- Study in 2018 found 2 per cent of gay people in UK had undergone the therapy
Gay ‘conversion therapies’ will be banned, Boris Johnson said yesterday. The Prime Minister said so-called gay ‘cures’ were ‘absolutely abhorrent’ and should be outlawed.
Practices and treatments claiming to be able to change or suppress a person’s sexual identity have been controversial for years.
Ministers first promised to outlaw the practice in 2018, but there has been little progress to date.
The Prime Minister said so-called gay ‘cures’ were ‘absolutely abhorrent’ and should be outlawed
Mr Johnson said the Government had now commissioned a study into the extent of the problem in the UK, but said such ‘therapies’ would then be banned.
He told ITV News: ‘I think that’s absolutely abhorrent and has no place in a civilised society, has no place in this country.
‘What we’re going to do is a study right now on where is this actually happening, how prevalent is it, and we will then bring forward plans to ban it.’
An online government study in 2018 found that 2 per cent of gay people in the UK had undergone ‘conversion therapies’, while 5 per cent had been offered them.
Online government study in 2018 found that 2 per cent of gay people in the UK had undergone ‘conversion therapies’ (Picture: Stock)
The Ban Conversion Therapy campaign said: ‘We’re delighted that Boris Johnson has listened to our calls for a ban on conversion therapy. Now we await action.’
Earlier this year stars including Sir Elton John, Stephen Fry and singer Dua Lipa have backed calls for the Government to ban conversion therapies.
The trio signed an open letter to Women and Equalities Minister Liz Truss saying: ‘Any form of counselling or persuading someone to change their sexual orientation or behaviour so as to conform with a heteronormative lifestyle, or their gender identity should be illegal, no matter the reason, religious or otherwise – whatever the person’s age.’
Mr Johnson also pledged that the government would respond this summer to a consultation on whether to update the Gender Recognition Act to make it easier for people to register a change of gender.