King's Speech 2024 - Draft Conversion Practices Bill

Draft Conversion Practices Bill 

“A draft Bill will be brought forward to ban conversion practices.”

• Conversion practices are abuse. They are acts that aim to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity, mostly in relation to LGBT+ people. Such practices have no place in society and must be stopped. 

• Through the Conversion Practices Bill, this Government will deliver our manifesto commitment to bring forward a full, trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices.

What does the draft Bill do?    

• The draft Conversion Practices Bill will propose new offences to target acts of conversion practices that are not captured by existing legislation. The Government wants to ensure that the criminal law offers protection from these abusive practices, while also preserving the freedom for people, and those supporting them, to explore their sexual orientation and gender identity. This will mean those providing medical care and support are in no way impacted by this Bill.

• We are clear that any ban must not cover legitimate psychological support, treatment, or non-directive counselling. It must also respect the important role that teachers, religious leaders, parents and carers can have in supporting those exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

• This is a government of change, which will give respect and dignity to everyone. That is why the ban will be fully trans-inclusive. We are committed to listening to all viewpoints and concerns with respect. 

• This Government is getting on with delivering a conversion practices ban. There is genuine cross party and cross society consensus to see these practices banned. But to ensure we have a ban that works and achieves that for the long term, we need to work closely with everyone and bring everyone with us as we do so - because no one thinks the status quo is acceptable. 

Territorial extent and application 

• The Bill will extend and apply to England and Wales.

Key facts

• Conversion practices are often hidden, covert and associated with shame, which results in a reluctance of victims to come forward and therefore makes it difficult to ascertain the true extent of the problem. However, there is consistent and current evidence of prevalence which suggests this takes place today and is not a historical issue.

• Research carried out by Galop in 2022 found that: 

• In 2017 the then Government conducted the National LGBT Survey. The Survey received around 108,000 valid responses from across the UK. Of these, 2 per cent of respondents reported having “undergone conversion or reparative therapy in an attempt to ‘cure' them of being LGBT”, and a further 5 per cent reported having been offered it. Transgender respondents were much more likely to report having undergone or been offered conversion therapy than non-transgender respondents (13 per cent vs 7 per cent) - there is a real policy need to ensure that any incoming ban is trans-inclusive.