Graham Norton and Alan Cumming signalled their support for a ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy’ in the UK after they were asked about the topic during a Q&A.

At Pitlochry Festival Theatre in Scotland, the pair were asked whether they would back a ban on the harmful practice, which is still legal in the UK and Ireland.

As The National reports, Norton said he “can’t believe” there is no ban on conversion therapy, while Cumming said it is “absolutely bonkers” that Scotland does not have a ban, considering it is “so progressive in other ways”.

In 2024, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Labour’s plan to ban the practice within the year. The political party said the proposed bill will be a “full, trans-inclusive ban” but “must not cover legitimate psychological support, treatment, or non-directive counselling.”

However, little progress has been made on the bill since then, and it remains up for debate in the House of Lords.

Ireland, similarly, does not have legislation outlawing “conversion therapy”, despite opposition from medical bodies. In 2024, the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, the Psychological Society of Ireland and the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy signed a memorandum renouncing the practice. In a joint statement, the groups said there is “no place in a modern, progressive society for conversion therapy”. All three groups described it as “unethical, potentially harmful and not supported by evidence”.

On a legislative level, the Prohibition of Conversion Therapies Bill 2018 was introduced in Ireland and presented to the Seanad by Senator Fintan Warfield in April 2018 as a private members’ bill. It sought to prohibit so-called ‘conversion therapy’, a deceptive and harmful practice against a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression.

The bill passed its second reading in the Seanad in May 2018 but did not complete all stages before the dissolution of the Dáil and Seanad ahead of the 2020 general election.

A draft of new government legislation to ban the practice and make provision for criminal offences was first brought to Cabinet by Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman in June 2023.

On January 16, 2024, the government published its Legislation Programme for Spring 2024, listing the planned ‘conversion therapy’ ban in Ireland as a priority bill for publication. However, the legislation has not progressed beyond this stage.