Crompton Liberal Democrat Councillor Louie Hamblett is heartened by the support shown by 370 religious’ leaders of all faiths and all countries for a ban on Gay Conversion Therapy, a discredited pseudo-scientific attempt to change a person’s sexual identity or gender identity.
The leaders, which include anti-Apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, have called upon the UK Government to do this yesterday (16 December) at a conference sponsored by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Councillor Hamblett said: “I am glad that some leading religious leaders have moved into the 21st Century in recognising that being gay is not a biological aberration or a moral weakness; it is just natural.
“Prime Minister Boris Johnson MP described Gay Conversion Therapy as ‘abhorrent’. Gay Conversion Therapy causes devastating mental health. or sometimes physical damage, sometimes supposedly in the name of “God or gods”, and this is deeply distressing and painful for those who are forced to undergo it or those, such as parents, who mistakenly place their trust in it.
“This government must urgently ban and outlaw this disgraceful practice. I also believe our police forces and social care and health teams must be trained to identify any signals from those who may have been subjected to this ‘so-called’ therapy.”
Councillor Hamblett hopes that Boris Johnson will soon act to outlaw this. He added: “The Conservative Government first promised to ban this two years ago. The personal accounts and stories that come from such cases sound so barbaric and stories of a medieval nature leaving people dehumanised and empty. Other countries such as Switzerland, Australia, Canada and even the US have outlawed this so we can too. Let’s make this happen soon rather than later.”