Government cancels LGBTQ+ conference after boycott over ‘conversion therapy’ ban U-turn
The UK government’s first-ever global LGBTQ+ conference has been cancelled after it backtracked on a promise to ban ‘conversion therapy’.
A commitment to ban the practice was first made by Theresa May’s administration in 2018, though is yet to actually happen. Last week, it was revealed that the government had made a U-turn on its decision to ban ‘conversion therapy’ in its entirety, though after fierce backlash it made another U-turn and opted just to ban its use on gay people – but not transgender. “Recognising the complexity of issues and need for further careful thought, we will carry out separate work to consider the issue of transgender conversion therapy further,” it said in a statement on 4 April.
As a result of the backtrack, more than 100 organisations dropped out of the government’s Safe to Be Me conference, which was due to take place this summer to coincide with the 50th anniversary of London’s first Pride marches.
Among these were Stonewall, the Terrence Higgins Trust and the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics. Plans for the event have now been scrapped entirely because of the lack of support for it, The Times reported.
