Alliance urged to drop controversial conversion practices bill as it is overwhelmingly rejected in public consultation

There have also been warnings that the proposed law could criminalise parents who challenged children questioning their gender – but the Alliance MLA behind it has insisted it is necessary to protect children from harmful and coercive practices.

Unionists voted against the legislation in September, but it passed to the next stage with Sinn Féin, SDLP and Alliance support.

There were heated scenes in the Assembly over the matter earlier this year, when the principal deputy speaker Carál Ní Chuilín instructed MLAs not to raise questions about how many gender identities there are.

That had become a key part of the debate, with unionist MLAs arguing that the definitions in the bill were poorly drafted and would make any law unworkable – with serious implications for ordinary parenting and free speech.

Concerns have also been raised that parents could be criminalised for discouraging sexualised clothing, or blocking access to Andrew Tate content or hardcore pornography.

However, the bill’s sponsor Eóin Tennyson MLA. says his proposals include safeguards for legitimate healthcare and therapy, and robust thresholds that protect open conversations, and free speech.

The Assembly’s communities committee has been gathering evidence on the bill as part of the scrutiny process, including gathering the views of the public on the proposals.

Addressing MLAs on Thursday, officials detailed the response to a public consultation on the matter, which they stressed was self-selecting – in other words people interested in the topic come forward with their views.

They said that over 1400 “citizen-based responses” had been received, most completed online, and some delivered to Parliament Buildings. The committee received responses from over 1,300 individuals and 50 organisations on Citizen Space, as well as 40 written responses, and most of those were from organizations as well. Around 35 organisations were invited to give oral evidence to committee.

Less than 6.5% of the public consultation responses supported Eoin Tennyson’s legislation, with 93.5% of responses expressing opposition to the Bill.

DUP MLA Pam Cameron has said the Committee for Communities' consultation shows overwhelming opposition to the Conversion Practices (Criminalisation) Bill, with more than nine in ten respondents rejecting it.

Mrs Cameron said: “These figures are stark. Over 1,300 people and organisations took the time to respond, and more than nine out of ten said no. That's not a narrow split. It's overwhelming opposition, and the Committee can't ignore it.

“The DUP has been clear from the outset that this Bill is the wrong approach, and the people who responded are firmly with us. No one is defending abusive or coercive practices. They're wrong, and where they cause harm the law should deal with them. But that's not what this Bill does.

“The people who would have to prosecute this law appear to be telling us the harm threshold could be met by distress alone, with no need to show intent to cause harm and no objective test. Their evidence seems to warn that terms like 'coaching' and 'instruction' could reach into family homes, churches and pastoral settings, and that ordinary parental responsibility could be caught.

“Meanwhile, ten health bodies were asked whether they'd ever received a complaint about conversion therapy. Nine said no or they had no record. The tenth reported fewer than five and found no concerns about the treatment provided.

“So we have a Bill the public overwhelmingly rejects, drafting the prosecuting authority says needs work, and little evidence of the problem it claims to solve. Parents, ministers and clinicians deserve better. This Bill should not proceed and the Alliance Party should listen to the public”.

James Kennedy, NI Policy Officer for the Christian Institute said: “Anyone who has read the Conversion Practices Bill will understand why there is so much public concern. Even among the tiny minority who support Tennyson’s proposal many are raising significant concerns about the drafting.

“Threatening parents of struggling teenagers with years behind bars is not a popular plan. Telling pastors they risk criminal records for praying with parishioners is a bad look.

“MLAs now need to take seriously the public concern around this Bill. They should accept the legal advice of top lawyers who say it is deeply flawed, and abandon this shambolic proposal altogether.”

The Christian Institute also said that Mr Tennyson’s Bill is based on “long-abandoned proposals from the Scottish Government, which were shelved after the Minister responsible cited concerns regarding their legal viability”.

The Alliance Party has been approached for comment.