‘After events around the world such as the Orlando shootings and Trump’s election, many members of the LGBT+ community no longer feel safe in the UK,’ creator Mollie Mantle wrote.
‘This therapy often includes electric shocks, counselors encouraging suicide, and damaging ideology linking LGBT+ identities to sexual abuse from family members in early years.
‘It is scientifically proven that this therapy does not work.’
The Department of Health has claimed they had ‘already taken the necessary steps to prevent the practice of gay conversion therapy in the UK’.
However, it still very much exists. There are ‘prayer groups’ and therapists have been exposed to recommend the dangerous practice.
In a response, they wrote: ‘The Government fully recognize the importance of this issue and the adverse impact this treatment could have on lesbian, gay and bisexual people.
‘There is no evidence that this sort of treatment is beneficial, and indeed it may well cause significant harm to some patients. It is incumbent on professionals working in the National Health Service to ensure that treatment and care, including therapy, is provided to every patient without any form of discrimination.
‘This Government is committed to tackling discrimination towards LGB people.
‘That is why we have already worked with the main registration and accreditation bodies for psychotherapy and counseling practitioners, including the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), to develop first a consensus statement and then a Memorandum of Understanding committing signatory organizations to a range of activities including training and awareness raising amongst their members in relation to this issue.’
In December 2016, Malta became the first country to ban ‘gay cure’ therapy.
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