The UK Government’s consultation on banning conversion therapy in England and Wales ends on the 4 February 2022. But did you know that 13 per cent of trans people in the UK have been offered or undergone conversion therapy, nearly double the average of 7 per cent which applies to all LGBTQ+ respondents?
The conversation around conversion therapy is important, but too often it is spoken about through the lens of ‘gay conversion therapy’, highlighting how this conversation often only looks at sexuality, and not allowing trans experiences to receive as much attention or concern despite the disproportionate statistics.
On 26 January, Britain’s Equality and Human Rights Commission published its written response for plans to legislate banning conversion therapy. Despite condemning the practice, their official statement stated that the prohibition of trans conversion therapy should be delayed further so that more research can be done, with an indication that it could be banned ‘once more detailed and evidence-based proposals are available which can be properly scrutinised.’
So, with trans people left in the dark yet again, just what is the reality like for trans people who have been offered or undergone conversion therapy?
What is it?
Conversion therapy itself is a practice of attempting to ‘cure’ someone’s sexuality or gender identity based on the assumption that it is attributed to mental illness. In England and Wales it’s currently an unlicensed practice, resulting in those offering conversion therapy the ability to go any lengths they see fit to ‘convert’ vulnerable LGBTQ+ people they are in contact with.
But what are the actual numbers when it comes to gender identity, and conversion therapy?
According to Stonewall’s LGBT+ In Britain report, which was released in 2018, 5 per cent of LGBTQIA+ respondents had been offered so-called ‘conversion’ therapy or ‘reparative’ therapy (but did not take it up), with a further 2 per cent undergoing it. However, despite trans respondents accounting for a smaller proportion of the overall respondents, the statistics increase. For example, 9 per cent of trans men had been offered so called ‘conversion’ therapy or ‘reparative’ therapy, with 5 per cent undergoing it.
This is a stark and damning reminder that conversion therapy, and it’s many iterations, is something that disproportionately impacts the trans community. However, support and voices for trans victims suffering at the hands of this practice is hardly there.
Eloise Stonborough, Associate Director of Policy and Research at Stonewall, (she/her) said: “Conversion therapy is a repulsive practice which disproportionately impacts trans communities. The UK Government’s own National LGBT Survey shows that 13 per cent of trans respondents had undergone or been offered so-called conversion therapy, nearly double the overall average (7 per cent) for LGBTQIA+ respondents. These figures represent thousands of trans people whose lives have been torn apart by this barbaric practice.
“We urgently need comprehensive legislation. Any Bill must outlaw all forms of conversion therapies in every setting without loopholes which permit LGBTQIA+ people to consent to conversion therapy, because no one can consent to abuse. It’s been over three years since the UK Government committed to banning conversion therapy, it must act now to protect our communities and outlaw this abhorrent practice once and for all.”
But just who is offering conversion therapy?
According to the National LGBT+ Survey, conducted by the UK Government, a staggering 51 per cent of respondents who received so-called ‘conversion’ therapy or ‘reparative’ therapy had it conducted by faith groups, followed by 19 per cent of respondents having had it conducted by health professionals.
It is common practice also for many LGBTQ+ people who are offered or undergo conversion therapy to have it offered to them from family members.
For many trans people, although they aren’t offered conversion therapy via medical professionals or faith groups, they exist within pseudo-pshycological environments that pressure and exploit them emotionally to repress who they are, slowly chipping away at their sense of self over time.
Raya Hassey spoke to GAY TIMES about the emotional abuse she suffered throughout her childhood and teenage years as a result of her trans identity.
“I was never offered official conversion therapy, but the only words that adequately describe my experiences during my childhood and into my teens are conversion therapy – in that, there simply wasn’t an option to be myself,” she says.
“My identity at home was controlled through abuse, threats and intimidation – this was only validated by my experience at school – where teachers took me alone into rooms, sat me down and shouted at me for playing with the girls. At one point I was forced to stop speaking to them and only hang out with boys – who bullied me intensely. Nothing was done by school to address this as, being Catholic, they only cared about enforcing Christian ideals onto me and ‘toughening me up’.”
Raya also expressed how, due to her school’s religious beliefs, despite the message not being “coordinated”, the consistent messaging was “you can’t be who you say you are because it doesn’t align with our values.”
As a result of this toxic environment of social conversion, it’s been a long journey to feel confident and comfortable with her identity.
“It has taken years for me to get to the point I was able to understand, let alone accept who I am, and even as an adult (other than from charities) the support was non-existent,” she says. “I’ve been on the GIC waiting list for five years and have only just managed to find support through CMAGIC (Cheshire and Merseyside gender identity clinic).”
This experience is all too common when it comes to the ways in which trans people are vulnerable and susceptible to manipulation and abuse by those wanting to carry out conversion therapy.
Carolyn, who bravely shared her testimonial with Ban Conversion Therapy, also details how after confiding in a vicar about her trans identity, she was referred to a psychiatrist who arranged a form of conversion therapy called ‘Aversion Therapy’ at a local hospital in Blackburn in the 1950s.
“I was taken to a dark room and strapped to a wooden chair,” she recalls. “Doctors gave me painful electric shocks while images of women were projected on the wall in front of me. I still remember clearly the pain of those shocks and the tears that ran down my face. The doctors were convinced that, if I learnt to associate my gender with physical pain, I’d stop having those feelings.”
Carolyn expresses how, in actuality, the therapy itself didn’t stop or prevent the feelings of dysphoria she experienced, and instead just drove her to ‘hate herself more’.
What can we do about it?
In England and Wales, we have a major opportunity with this consultation to be able to offer our voices and our opinions towards the development of legislation banning so-called ‘conversion’ therapy.
Gendered Intelligence, one of the UK’s leading charities helping to increase understanding of gender diversity, proudly supports the ban, alongside charities like Stonewall and The Ozanne Foundation.
“We know that a full ban on conversion therapy, without exemptions, is the only way to protect the LGBTQ+ community in the UK,” the told us. “Most of the attempts [of so called conversion therapy] were in faith-based or healthcare settings, with trans and non-binary people 13 per cent more likely to be targeted for conversion therapy than cisgender gay people. This is an insidious practice that affects all LGBTQ+ people, and must be stamped out immediately.”
They added: “The LGBTQ+ population – trans and non-binary people in particular – are already at increased risk for poor mental health outcomes, with lack of acceptance and social prejudice being major causal factors. Conversely, strong family and peer support and acceptance of identity are among the strongest predictors of positive outcomes. A total ban on conversion therapy wouldn’t just mean the end of an outdated, cruel, and dangerous practice, it would also mean the opportunity to build stronger and happier families and communities throughout the nation.”
The consultation ends at 11.45pm (GMT) on 4 February 2022. It’s looking to seek views on a package of proposed measures that will apply to England and Wales. These include introducing conversion therapy as a new criminal offence, providing a package of support for victims, restricting promotion of conversion therapy and continuing to explore further measures to prevent the promotion and advertising of conversion therapy.
You can find resources below if you, or someone you know has been offered or undergone conversion therapy, as well as the consultation itself. If you need guidance on how to fill out the consultation, Ban Conversion Therapy have provided a handy guide here.
Ban Conversion Therapy
Gendered Intelligence
LGBT+ In Britain Report 2018
Stonewall UK
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