Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to outlaw all forms of conversion therapy if Labour wins the election.
The Labour leader said his ban would be “trans-inclusive”, meaning it would ban attempts to change someone’s gender identity as well as their sexuality through conversion therapy.
The Tories have promised to ban practices that attempt to change a person’s sexuality but have raised concerns that a ban on trying to persuade children not to change their gender identity could criminalise parents, teachers and doctors.
They warn that Sir Keir’s ban would not include protections for these groups, who could end up in court for merely questioning children.
Speaking at an LGBT+ Labour meeting on Monday night, Sir Keir said: “We’ll implement a full, trans-inclusive ban on all forms of conversion therapy.
“We fully support the view that conversion therapy is psychologically damaging abuse.”
He also pledged to “modernise” the Gender Recognition Act, which allows people to change their gender legally.
Helen Joyce of the gender-critical group Sex Matters said: “Starmer seems more interested in virtue-signalling about identity politics than protecting children’s wellbeing.”
A proposal from the SNP government in Scotland to ban conversion therapy will see parents facing up to seven years in prison if they refuse to allow their children to identify as the opposite sex.
The Proposals by Stammer and the SNP about conversion therapy and the Trans debate are themselves dangerous and potentially damaging to children. By banning what they call “any type of conversion therapy” they shut down the opportunity for people around the person who seeks to “transition” to discuss their motivations for the decision and if there are any mental health conditions that may affect the persons decision.
When making a decision such as this that will have a massive long-term and, in some cases, irreversible effect on the person’s future, there needs to be an extensive discussion around it, A discussion that may make all parties uncomfortable and may challenge the person wanting to transition to face some questions that may cause distress. With this ban, that will not be possible.
In many cases, it has been found among people that transition. Then, detransition that other factors were going on that were unexplored, such as poor self-esteem/body image, depression, trauma and other societal issues. At many so-called gender clinics, the people who are supposed to help the person considering transitioning to make a measured decision over the way forward are only interested in pushing the person into going along with the transition and not looking into these other possible factors around the thoughts of transitioning. This should indeed also be considered a form of conversion therapy itself.
We have seen more and more the family sidelined and its power taken away by the state over this issue and many others surrounding our children. The state should not have the power to overrule parents’ wishes and block them from being involved in the decisions on what is best for their children’s welfare and future; we need to roll back the state’s intervention in family affairs. Labour, it appears, along with the Green and Scottish Nationalist parties, are the enemy of the traditional family.
