The government's draft conversion practices bill proposes prison terms of up to five years for abusive attempts to alter sexual orientation or gender identity that cause serious harm. Kemi Badenoch withdrew support over fears the bill could criminalize ordinary parenting, citing scenarios where parents refuse to affirm non-binary or novel identities. Officials reject these claims, maintaining that prosecution demands a high threshold of abuse and severe harm. In defense, Conservatives insist Badenoch aims to safeguard exploratory clinical conversations rather than harm LGBT individuals.
Key points
The Conservative Party has officially withdrawn its backing for the proposed ban on conve…: The Conservative Party has officially withdrawn its backing for the proposed ban on conversion therapy over gender identity concerns.
Government officials maintain the draft law establishes a strict legal threshold requirin…: Government officials maintain the draft law establishes a strict legal threshold requiring evidence of abuse and serious harm before prosecution.
Conservative representatives argue the current legislative text threatens to criminalize…: Conservative representatives argue the current legislative text threatens to criminalize vital, exploratory discussions between clinicians and young people.
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Kemi Badenoch has “no interest in supporting LGBT+ people” or promoting tolerance more widely, a government minister has said, after the Conservatives dropped support for a planned law to ban so-called “conversion therapy”.
The comments by Bridget Phillipson, the equalities minister, come after the Tories removed their previous backing for a law targeting abusive practices that aim to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Badenoch’s party say this is because of concerns about the scope of the bill, particularly the way it deals with gender identity.
The draft conversion practices bill, which was published in June and is now open for consultation, sets out potential jail sentences of up to five years for attempts to change someone’s sexuality or gender identity which are abusive and cause serious harm.
Asked about the bill last week, Badenoch said it would “mean that parents start getting arrested for parenting their children”, agreeing with a question by a journalist who said this could happen if parents refuse to let their child identify as a cat.
Government officials argue that this is not possible,…
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