Conversion Therapy Must Be Banned In Scotland, Says UNISON
Omar Malik
25/04/24
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Banning conversion practices needs to be prioritised by the Scottish government, according to Glasgow’s UNISON branch.
This comes after workers at last week’s annual Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) unanimously voted in support of prohibiting conversion therapy - a practice which seeks to alter or ‘cure’ a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Brian Smith, UNISON’s Glasgow City branch secretary, says the trade union shares these sentiments: “Without a doubt, UNISON’s position would certainly be to support banning conversion therapy.”
The Scottish government supports the motion, launching a consultation earlier this year which detailed the legislature around the proposed ban.
Emma Roddick, Scotland’s Equalities Minister and MSP for Highlands and Islands, reiterated the Scottish government’s stance on the proposed ban: “[Conversion practices] are damaging and destructive acts that violate people’s human rights. Sadly, these practices still happen today and they have absolutely no place in Scotland.”
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According to mental health charity Mind, those who have experienced conversion therapy are twice as likely to have suicidal feelings, with 75% more likely to conduct a plan to end their lives.
Mind states that conversion practices “teach people not to care about themselves as they are taught to believe there is something wrong with them.”
Many alterations of conversion therapy sessions exist, Mind explains: “They can be more subtle, such as some faith groups giving advice on how to not act on sexual orientation. There can also be more extreme practices such as physical and sexual violence, or exorcisms.”
UNISON agrees that the dangers posed by conversion practices must be quashed, Smith told Blether: “We have detailed our own motion which is generally very similar to the Scottish government’s own position.”
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The timeframe for enacting a ban may be longer than expected, however, as the UK government has yet to respond to England’s similar consultation which took place in 2022.
Scotland could become the UK’s first nation to ban conversion therapy, as the issue was not included in last year’s King’s Speech - attracting criticism from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
After the Bill is initially drafted, it will be considered by a committee; before being debated at Holyrood.