On Wednesday, July 17, at the State Opening of Parliament, King Charles III delivered his first King’s Speech for the new Labour government and announced the party’s plan to ban so-called ‘conversion therapy’.
The speech is traditionally written by the government, listing out the legislative agenda for the next parliamentary session. It includes draft bills on the economy, environment, housing and policy.
The King said in his speech: “My government will improve the National Health Service as a service for all providing care on the basis of need regardless of the ability to pay. It will seek to reduce the waiting times, focus on prevention and improve mental health provision for young people.
“A draft bill will be brought forward to ban conversion practices. My government will take steps to help rebuild trust and foster respect,” he said
The Labour government additionally announced that the proposed bill for England and Walles will be a “full, trans-inclusive ban” but “must not cover legitimate psychological support, treatment, or non-directive counselling.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said following the speech that a conversion therapy ban was a promise that has “lingered in the lobby of good intentions for far too long.” On Instagram, he added: “National renewal starts now”.
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The King’s Speech follows Labour leader Keir Starmer’s promise to propose a trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy as part of his election campaign. Although Starmer has previously been criticised for his approach to trans rights, he insists that Labour has been persistent in defending the LGBTQ+ community. Conversion practices attempt to forcibly change an individual’s sexuality or gender expression, and Starmer expressed that his party fully supports “the view that conversion therapy is psychologically damaging abuse.”
This is the third time that a monarch has introduced a plan to ban conversion therapy, the past two attempts were by Queen Elizabeth II in 2018 and 2022. Former Tory Party leader and then-Prime Minister, Theresa May, backed trans-inclusive legislation in 2018; however, her successor Boris Johnson decided to exclude trans people from the bill.
Under the Conservative government in 2023, Rishi Sunak said that it would ban conversion therapy for “everyone” which would include transgender people, yet this did not come to fruition.
Good news from 🇬🇧
It seems a ban on abhorrent so-called ‘conversion therapy’ is finally on its way.
This comes after years of delays and their recently ousted Tory Govt prioritising culture wars over the rights of LGBT+ people.
Now for 🇮🇪 #BanConversionTherapy 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ https://t.co/xSH4meNXUE
— NXF (@nxfie) July 17, 2024
Ban Conversion Therapy has been leading the fight for years, taking to Instagram to share that the time is now for “a fully inclusive bill with no loopholes, that protects all LGBTQ+ people from abuse.”
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