Gender conversion therapy ban – use our campaigning tool to write to your MP!

The Government announced last week that it would bring forward a bill to ban ‘conversion therapy’ – not just with respect to sexuality, but gender identity as well (Telegraph,?Times).

This is a complex issue, and the FSU is concerned about the impact such a ban might have on the free speech of doctors, therapists, teachers and parents, not to mention religious leaders. (We've written about the issues involved at greater length here.)

To ensure ministers are careful about what speech the law actually bans, any proposed legislation will need to be scrutinised very carefully. For instance, would a ‘conversion therapy’ ban in England and Wales make it a criminal offence for a parent to object to their child taking puberty blockers? In the state of Victoria, Australia, which passed a ‘conversion therapy’ ban last year, it is (Telegraph).

That’s why we’re encouraging our members and supporters to email their MPs, using our campaigning tool, and share these concerns. The link to the campaigning tool is?here.

Thank you in advance for sending the email. At the FSU, we seem to be engaged in a constant battle to stop the Government making it illegal for people to speak their minds. But if this bill ends up being anything like the conversion therapy ban in the state of Victoria, it will criminalise advice, both personal and professional, that could help young people avoid making life-changing mistakes.

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If you think there’s a risk you’ll be penalised for exercising your legal right to free speech, whether it’s in the workplace or the public square, you need the protection of the Free Speech Union. Membership starts from just ￡2.49 a month. You can join us?here.?

Alternatively, if you'd like to donate to help support the work that we do, you can click?here.