The petition calling for trans people to be protected in a ban on ‘conversion therapy’ in the UK is less than 14,000 signatures away from 150,000.
It is now the fourth most-signed open petition on the government’s official website. It previously reached the 100,000 threshold required to be considered for parliamentary debate on 11 April.
The person who launched the petition, Sammantha Harris, told GAY TIMES that it “was born out of a frustration with how the current government is treating LGBTQ+ people and especially trans people.” “I was expecting it to take weeks to get anywhere near the numbers it has now, and am moved by the solidarity the community has shown trans people,” she continued. “Not just in signing the petition itself but how frequently it’s been shared, how many people have emailed their MPs over trans people being removed from the ban and the showing at the recent protest in London.” Thousands demonstrated against the government’s decision to exclude trans people from a ban of the practice across from Downing Street on 10 April.
Many people held placards demanding that the government reconsider its stance, with those chanting sharing a similar sentiment.