Against Conversion Therapy in the UK

A Law to Ban Conversion Therapy – our webinars in conjunction with the MOU Coalition against Conversion Therapy

It was Winston Churchill, as Prime Minister, who asked for Lord Wolfenden’s Commission to grapple with a remedy for the ‘social evil’ of homosexuality, as it was considered in 1954. The main recommendation was for decriminalisation. But alongside this, as Churchill had wanted, there was also the possibility of treatment.

This came too late, however, for Alan Turing. Today, we remember Turing and Churchill as two of the greatest Britons who ever lived for their roles in bringing an end to the Second World War, saving many millions of lives. But Turing was homosexual. He was prosecuted, convicted and underwent chemical treatment for a year, as an alternative to imprisonment, after which he then committed suicide.

Over the decades, these barbaric ‘cures’ have been consigned to the medical dustbin. Across the disciplines of psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy and counselling, arguments around sexual and gender difference have shifted from an earlier emphasis on psychopathology and classification as illness, to freedom to choose lifestyles consistent with our sense of self and right to self-expression.

But so-called conversion therapy – efforts to ‘cure’ a person’s sexuality or gender difference – still remains legal. The UK government carried out a recent survey that showed it is still being used even today on thousands of LGBT people, largely but not exclusively in churches and other faith settings. This has led the government to promise to bring in a law that will ban and bring a long-overdue end, finally, to abusive forms of practice that masquerade as conversion ‘therapy’.

There are complex issues to resolve so that a new law provides the protection that is needed without unintended consequences. If consent to undergo ‘conversion’ is no longer a legitimate defence, how will we respect a client’s values, choices and autonomy? How can a valid exploration of sexuality, gender and spirituality be made fully safe, ethical and therapeutic in all counselling and pastoral settings?

We are grateful to the MOU Coalition, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists for hosting the webinar for MPs. Thank you to Stephen Fry, Hon. Fellow of the College, for his personal message of support. Thank you to the MPs, campaigners, legal and mental health experts, religious leaders and, above all, the courageous LGBT survivors of conversion therapy, for all their contributions. Together, we will succeed in bringing an end to the harm from abusive ‘conversion’ practices.