Conversion practices ban: Three measures that Scotland's proposed criminal offence must include – Vic Valentine

Conversion practices ban should cover anyone who might be subjected to them, including trans and asexual people

No matter who we are, we all want pretty similar things in life – including friends, family and a community who love and support us for who we truly are. This is no different for LGBTQA+ people – we hope we will be accepted by the people who are important to us.

Over the last few decades, it has become much more common for LGBTQA+ people to be met with that support, but this isn’t true for everyone. Often, even if things get off to a rocky start, the people around us go on a journey towards acceptance of their LGBTQA+ loved ones and friends. But sometimes, false beliefs that they are somehow “broken” or need to be “fixed” mean that we are subjected to conversion practices.

These attempt to change or suppress someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. They don’t work. And they often cause really serious harm to people who are subjected to them – who can internalise those feelings of being “broken”. They can happen in different places and in different ways – through ‘talking therapies’ in the office of a ‘counsellor’, through ‘exorcisms’ in religious settings, or even through much more appalling situations like corrective rape. We might not want to believe these things happen in Scotland, but unfortunately they still do.

Conversion practices against transgender and other people are harmful and do not work (Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)

‘Consent’ should be no defence

That’s why the Scottish Government are currently consulting on proposals that attempt to end these harmful practices. Their proposals include introducing a new criminal offence of engaging in conversion practices – applying where the practices involve providing a service, or a course of action that is coercive, and causes someone harm.

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There are three things that my organisation thinks are really important, to make sure the proposals truly deliver. The first is that the protections should cover anyone who might be subjected to conversion practices. So they need to protect trans people and asexual people (people who don’t experience sexual attraction to anybody), who can be targeted.

The second is that the new criminal offence should cover conversion practices that try to suppress someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as those that try to change them. Sometimes, people who engage in conversion practices accept that they can’t actually change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity, so instead turn their attention to trying to force people to hide who they are, because it is ‘wrong’. This can be just as harmful.

The final one is that it should not be a defence to the new criminal offence that someone ‘consented’. People are often pressured into giving this consent, by people that they trust. To truly consent to something, you need to know all of the facts – and the facts are that conversion practices don’t work and are hugely harmful.

There’s only a few days left to respond to the Scottish Government consultation. I very much hope that everyone who agrees no one should be subjected to harm simply because of who they love or who they are will take a few minutes to support this important law.

See how Equality Network are responding to the consultation at equality-network.org/CP. Anyone concerned about conversion practices can call LGBT+ Helpline Scotland: 0800 464 7000. You can call Rape Crisis Scotland from 5pm-midnight: 08088 010302.

Vic Valentine is manager of Scottish Trans