The Equalities Minister, Kemi Badenoch, has promised that ordinary discussions about sexuality and gender won’t be made illegal by the government’s proposed ban on conversion practices.
She pledged that the ban will not prevent parents, religious leaders, teachers, or health professionals from having ‘exploratory or even challenging conversations’ with young people about ‘gender identity’.
The long-awaited draft bill to ban conversion practices (sometimes called ‘conversion therapy’) was sent to Rishi Sunak last week and is reportedly still awaiting the PM's approval. The draft bill will passed through parliamentary scrutiny after Sunak's final sign off.
An earlier 'consent clause' amendment remains in the recent draft. This would protect anyone engaging in deemed conversion practices with consenting adults from prosecution under the ban.
LGBT activists are raising fresh criticisms of the provision for adult consent in the draft bill as a 'loophole' and continue to push hard for the widest possible ban an encompassing preaching, praying, pastoring – and even parenting – in line with biblical beliefs about sexuality and gender.
