NSW Is Finally Planning To Outlaw Pseudoscience Conversion Therapy Practices
The NSW government is implementing plans to ban the controversial practice of conversion therapy. A new bill would criminalise the harmful practices while exempting religious sermons and parental conversations.
The bill was supposed to be introduced earlier but the Minns government postponed so further conversations with LGBTQIA+ leaders and religious institutions could be consulted.
Laws must be instated but exemptions are being welcomed
Conversion therapy employs harmful tactics that attempt to force someone who is same-sex attracted into becoming heterosexual. Historically, the practice has been engaged in various forms ranging from religious camps to devastating surgeries.
Traditional science has long dispelled the efficacy of conversion therapy, yet it remains a popular method in religious and conservative circles. The NSW government is hoping their new bill will pass and end the practice from causing damage to new generations of LGBTQIA+ youth.
The proposed law aims to carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison for proven harmful conversion practices. Independent MP Alex Greenwich and other advocates of the bill welcome exemptions as appropriate while calling for respectful debate. For example, leaders in the church who give sermons on homosexuality being a sin would remain within their protected right of religious free speech.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, survivors of conversion therapy have been speaking out for years about the damage these programs can do to a person physically and psychologically. Recounting a heartbreaking email he received, preacher Anthony Venn-Brown shares the story of Matt, a former conversion therapy participant. “I made a lot of friends in my years of conversion therapy. Out of 40, only six are still alive. One died naturally, the rest suicide,” Matt writes.
This is just one out of the countless stories survivors have about their experiences. NSW Premier Chris Minns says, “I’ve personally met with survivors of conversion practices and know how important it is that we put an end to this.”
While the bill seeks careful consideration, particularly regarding parental involvement, advocates such as MP Alex Greenwich believe it’s a step away from a dark period in history. “LGBTQIA+ people are not broken, we do not need to be fixed and if you try, you have broken the law,” he says.
