On Wednesday July 22 a bill to ban gay conversion therapy in Israel passed its first stage in the country’s parliament, making it the first country in the Middle East region to take steps towards banning the controversial practice.
The BBC reported that religious parties are unhappy with this move, threatening the government’s already fragile coalition, and the bill must pass two more readings before it becomes official law.The bill to abolish gay conversion therapy was introduced by the openly gay leader of Israel’s Meretz party Nitzan Horowitz, who compared the practice to a form of murder.