UK Government rejects calls to make ‘gay cure’ therapy illegal
'It's not the right way forward' claims the Department of Health.
By Will Stroude
The UK government has rejected calls to make so-called “gay cure” therapy illegal.
While it’s illegal to carry out gay cure therapy on the NHS, the practice itself remains completely above the law in the UK.
A recent petition to make the offensive and harmful treatment illegal gained enough signatures to get a response from the government, but sadly their reply wasn’t what we were hoping for.
“The Government totally condemns any attempt to treat being gay, lesbian or bisexual as an illness, said a spokesperson at the Department of Health.
“However, the Government does not believe creating a criminal offence is the right way forward.”
“The Government fully recognises the importance of this issue and the adverse impact this treatment could have on lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people,” added the statement.
Earlier this year, Brazilian judge Waldemar de Carvalho approved gay conversion therapy in Brazil, leading to a protest by thousands of people. 13 Reasons Why star Tommy Dorfman also slammed the law, and supported the LGBT community by launching a fundraising t-shirt.
Back in October, it was revealed that a gay cure debate segment on Good Morning Britain has broken the record for Ofcom complaints in 2017.