NUS UK has called out the Government to commit to banning all conversion therapy after controversial documents were leaked.
ITV News revealed a leaked official briefing note that claimed the Prime Minister had decided not to outlaw conversion therapy even though this had been promised in the past.
What did the document say?
The document, which was revealed yesterday, Thursday March 31, said: ‘The PM has agreed we should not move forward with legislation to ban LGBT conversion therapy.’
The document even went so far as to say the government could use the war in Ukraine, and the cost of living crisis, as reasons why the they could no longer go ahead with its plan to ban conversion therapy. It also noted they accepted there would be “noisy backlash from LGBT groups”.
Government U-turn
Boris Johnson was then forced to make a U-turn, as it was confirmed by ITV’s Paul Brand, saying he would in fact ban the conversion and it would be in the Queen’s Speech to Parliament in May.
However, Brand also reported new plans will only apply to gay – and not trans – conversion therapy. This comes just days after one of his own ministers came out as transgender.
NUS Calls For Government To Commit
In response to the confusion around the prospective conversion ban, the NUS Vice-President for Higher Education Hillary Gyebi-Ababio has called for the government to commit to banning the ‘evil practice’ and called it a disgrace the news came out on Trans Day of Visibility.
Gyebi-Ababio told Freshered: ‘The student movement stands in full solidarity with the trans community. Conversion therapy is a cruel form of torture, so it’s a disgrace that yesterday on the #TransDayOfVisibility reports emerged that the Government won’t ban trans conversion therapy.
‘The Government need to U-turn and commit to outlawing this evil practice.’