Conversion therapy debate: Boris Johnson decision to ban treatment prompts debate over ‘criminalising prayer’ by clerics in Northern Ireland

Mr Johnson has been forced to stage a hasty retreat after an announcement that ministers were abandoning plans to ban so-called conversion therapy sparked a furious backlash.

A Government spokesman had earlier confirmed that they were looking instead at ways of preventing it through existing law and “other non-legislative measures”.

It followed the leak of a Downing Street briefing paper seen by ITV News which said “the PM has agreed we should not move forward with legislation” to outlaw the practice.

However within hours of the announcement, a senior Government source was quoted as saying legislation would be included in the Queen’s Speech in May.

The NI Assembly passed a non-binding motion for a ban on Conversion Therapy “in all its forms” on 20 April 2021. The Department of Communities is now working on a bill to make the decision law.

Aisling Twomey of the Rainbow Project told the News Letter that any religious practices which aim to “change, suppress or ‘cure’” someone’s sexual orientation or gender should be banned by the new law.

“The Rainbow Project will always stand against conversion therapy in whatever guise it presents itself and wherever it is being promoted,” she said. “We call on LGBTQIA+ people, our friends and allies to join the campaign to keep pressure on the UK Government and Northern Ireland ministers to their word on banning this practice for all LGBTQIA+ people.

“We will continue to remind the UK Government and Northern Ireland Ministers that conversion therapy is rightly condemned by reputable mental health, counselling, and psychotherapy bodies. The UN General Assembly, and over 400 global religious leaders, who have all called for an end to this cruel, degrading and inhuman practice. It does not work, it has been compared to torture and it is unethical and harmful to the people who are subjected to these practices.

She added: “We are not seeking to prevent anyone from seeking support from their faith leader or religious community. Many LGBTQIA+ people are active in their faith communities and religion, including prayer, is an invaluable part of their lives. Prayer and pastoral guidance are good things when they allow someone to explore their sexual orientation and gender identity in a safe, non-directive way. We will not accept loopholes for those individuals and charities who are calling for the continuation of these harmful practices to be able to proceed under the guise of the ‘public interest, personal choice or religious freedom.

“Any directive practices religious or otherwise which are directed at an individual to change, suppress or ‘cure’ their sexual orientation and/or gender identity is a form of Conversion practices and should be banned.”

Boyd Sleator, Coordinator, of NI Humanists echoed her wishes for the new law in NI.

“When people are experiencing such extreme distress over their sexual orientation or gender identity, they should be met with person-centred, therapeutically well-grounded support,” he said. “They should not face coercive, medically worthless practices that seek to push them in a particular direction. And we, along with everyone else who has campaigned to ban conversion therapy, don’t want to stop people from praying with others (this is a mischaracterisation). When that prayer tries to coerce someone into changing their sexuality, this becomes an issue.”

But Simon Calvert of the Christian Institute said the leaked Government document confirms that there isn’t an evidence basis for a ban.

“They haven’t identified any gap in the law that needs to be filled,” he said. “Abuse is already illegal. So what will a ‘conversion therapy’ ban cover? If you are going to criminalise something you need to be able to say what it is.”

He noted that former government advisor Jayne Ozanne has gone on record to say she would like the ban to include “gentle, non-coercive prayer”.

He added: ““The Government knows you can’t do this - at least, not without breaching the European Convention on Human Rights. That’s why it’s so disappointing that, having come to a sensible, considered conclusion to drop the ban, they’ve now caved in to people who see this law as a way of punishing evangelicals for their beliefs about sexuality.”

Dr Michael Davidson, an ex-gay campaigner from Co Down and Chairman of the International Federation for Therapeutic and Counselling Choice, had lobbied government against the ban as part of a delegation of other ex-gays.

“At the moment, the UK suffers from only one viewpoint being favoured and promoted by mental health professional bodies,” he said.

Lobbyists have misled both church and state in consultations about the content of several scientific papers on the subject, he added..

“Dissenting viewpoints have been rejected as unscientific without debate. The fact is, the scientific community is split. So when only one ideological viewpoint is promoted, and opposing ideological viewpoints are disallowed, there can be no checks and balances.”

He added: “I hope the government will begin to see how the politicisation of sexuality is set to rip the country apart and that its ban will do far more damage than the good it claims to be aiming to achieve.”

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland said the government had previously said that private prayer or ‘an exchange of views’ would not fall foul of a ban.

“In our submission in response to the UK Government’s public consultation on conversion therapy, we said very clearly that coercive interventions with a view to changing an individual’s sexual orientation are wrong and where current legislation does not adequately deal with these coercive practices then it would be appropriate to consider introducing new laws,” a spokesman said.

“At the time, we also welcomed the commitment by the Government that it is not the intention that everyday religious practice would be impacted by any policy changes, or legislative developments, resulting from the consultation. The Government acknowledged that private prayer, or an exchange of views, could not reasonably be understood to fall into the category of talking conversion therapy. We understand that the UK Government’s decision relates only to England and Wales as separate proposals will be considered for Northern Ireland.”

A spokesperson for the Stormont Department of Communities said: “The Minister has stated that So-called conversion therapies need to be banned to protect our LGBTQI+ community. The Department is leading on this and is currently developing legislation to ban this cruel practice.”

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