Banning conversion therapy
Applies to England and Wales
Consultation description
The deadline for responding to this consultation has been extended to Friday 4 February 2022 at 11:45pm.
It is not necessary for those who have already responded to re-submit their responses.
The government will introduce a legislative ban on the practice of so-called conversion therapy. This consultation seeks views on proposals on how we plan to ban these practices, which particularly affect LGBT people. This consultation closes on Friday 4 February 2022 at 11:45pm.
The consultation seeks views on a package of proposed measures that will apply to England and Wales. These include:
- a ban on conversion therapy – introducing a new criminal offence alongside sentence uplifts for existing offences
- a package of support for victims, restricting promotion of conversion therapies, removing profit streams, and strengthening the case for disqualification from holding a senior role in a charity
- introducing Conversion Therapy Protection Orders to protect potential victims from undergoing the practice including overseas
- exploring further measures to prevent the promotion and advertisement of conversion therapy
Once the consultation has closed, the responses will inform the final phase of work on the policy proposals. The Equality Hub will prepare draft legislation by spring 2022, which will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Easy Read
We published an Easy Read document (PDF, 3.44 MB) on Thursday 9 December. It is also available in high-resolution (PDF, 134 MB).
If you need a printed version of the Easy Read document, please email [email protected].
Ways to respond
We encourage responses online wherever possible.
Please read the consultation document (also available as a print-ready PDF).
Then submit your responses online.
Please email [email protected] if:
- you would like to respond via email or request a copy to download and send by post
- you have any other enquiries specifically relating to the conversion therapy consultation
If you would like to respond by post, please mark your correspondence ‘Conversion Therapy Consultation’ and send to:
Cabinet Office - Government Equalities Office
Sanctuary Buildings
20 Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3BT
Frequently-asked questions
You can see a list of frequently-asked questions about the conversion therapy consultation.
Support
We understand that engaging with this consultation may be difficult for people who have experienced or been affected by conversion therapy practices. For anyone who has been affected by issues covered by the consultation, please see the below support services:
Other correspondence
If you have questions relating to the wider policies of the Equality Hub, please submit an enquiry using our online contact form.
Research
To better understand the nature and impact of conversion therapy practices in the UK, we have commissioned and undertaken qualitative and quantitative research. This research has now been published so that stakeholders and members of the public can view that information.
Conversion therapy: an evidence assessment and qualitative study was undertaken by researchers at Coventry University, who examined the nature of conversion therapy practices in the UK, and their impact on people who experience them. This report may not necessarily reflect the government’s view.
An assessment of the evidence on conversion therapy for sexual orientation and gender identity was undertaken by government analysts. This report looks at the evidence base of available international research and the report by Coventry University to further explore conversion therapy.
The prevalence of conversion therapy in the UK: weighting data from the National LGBT Survey 2017 was also undertaken by government analysts. It reweights data from the National LGBT Survey 2017 to get a more accurate picture of the prevalence of conversion therapy in the UK.
Documents
Updates to this page
Published 29 October 2021Last updated 9 December 2021 + show all updates
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Changed the deadline for consultation responses to Friday 4 February 2022 in multiple places. Uploaded an Easy Read PDF version.
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Added an Easy Read version of the consultation document.
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Added a document listing frequently-asked questions.
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First published.