Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan has welcomed new government action to ban abusive conversion practices.
The Conversion Practices Bill was announced in the recent King’s Speech and is aimed at closing gaps in criminal law to better target conversion practices.
The government says the bill will deliver a manifesto commitment to introduce a trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices.
It follows Stephen Morgan’s “Ban Conversion Therapy” campaign, which has called for all forms of so-called conversion therapy to be banned in full, with no loopholes or exceptions.
In 2024, a national survey of 2,000 LGBT+ people, conducted by Opinium on behalf of Stonewall, found that around one in ten had experienced a form of conversion practice in the previous year.
Labour says it wants to ensure criminal law protects people from these practices, while also preserving the freedom for people, and those supporting them, to explore their sexual orientation and gender identity.
The government has also said the ban must be balanced and targeted, so it does not affect legitimate healthcare or wider support available to people exploring their identity.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“The previous government’s failure to deliver their promise to ban conversion therapies time and again left LGBTQ+ people in Portsmouth vulnerable to experiencing these abusive practices. Conversion practices that aim to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity, have no place in society and must be stopped.
“With this new Bill, the Government is setting things right by fill the gaps in criminal law to target conversion practices. This Bill is not only a campaign win but a major step forwards for Portsmouth’s LGBTQ+ community, who can feel reassured Ministers are acting on our concerns.
“But action does not stop here. I will continue to take action to protect our city’s LGBTQ+ community, so that everyone can live in our city with dignity, respect and pride”.
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