LGBTIQA+ Greens' Statements

This statement/e-mail template was written by Lollie Melton.

Dear [name of MP],

I am writing to you to express concern about the recent proposals to do with the law around conversion therapy. I feel strongly that what is planned does not go far enough to protect people from being coerced into harmful and unscientific 'medical treatment'.

It is my belief that there are too many caveats that would allow conversion therapy practices to continue, having been simply rebranded and even enjoying new protections under the guise of religious freedom and freedom of speech.

Not only are the newly proposed protections insufficient but allowing conversion therapy under any circumstances suggests that it is an acceptable practice and that by extension it is acceptable to view homosexuality as a problem that needs to be 'cured'.

I fear that what is proposed will permit practitioners and their proponents to go on harming LGBTIQA+ people with impunity, finding ways around what stipulations may be laid out in new legislation. What is needed is an emphatic all-out ban to avoid this ambiguity.

It is the responsibility of the Government to safeguard the population from things that are detrimental to health. This is why we have laws that appear to limit citizens' freedom in the interests of safety and the preservation of life, and in the case of conversion therapy, we must think in the same way.

It is not possible to ensure that a person is not being influenced by the biases of those around them, or even by prejudicial attitudes that are still prevalent in wider society. So even with the most 'robust and stringent measures' how can free and informed consent ever be established? And what is to stop the personal biases of the professionals responsible for ascertaining this from interfering with their judgement?

Additionally, I have reservations about the associated consultation. I believe it is unnecessarily delaying decisions that are already long-overdue and potentially opening the floor to homophobic and transphobic campaigners to attempt to influence government decisions in ways that negatively impact the LGBTIQA+ community.

In fact, I am shocked to discover that the Equalities Office held a meeting with so-called ‘former LGBTIQA+ people’ representing the company Core Issues Trust, which is a strong proponent of conversion therapy. This does not suggest to me that eradicating the practice is a priority for this government and the fact that ministers felt the need to hide this manoeuvre displays a concerning lack of transparency.

There can be no room for uncertainty here. This is a very serious issue, the science is clear on what damage can be done to a person by suffering through conversion therapy - whether they 'consent' to this treatment or not.

It is my opinion that the new bill has the potential of a highly dangerous loophole that can and will be exploited by those with an agenda to push.

I would urge you to push for a total and unequivocal ban on conversion therapy.

Yours sincerely,

[your name]