Why Is Conversion Therapy Still Legal In The UK?
It has been seven years since the United Kingdom government first promised to ban conversion therapy. Yet as we approach 2026, the practice remains legal. For many in the LGBTQIA+ community, this delay is not just political bureaucracy. It is a matter of safety and survival.
The debate has stalled over complex arguments regarding freedom of expression and religious liberty. While politicians argue over definitions, people are suffering.
A search for help turns harmful.
Simon Burrows knows the cost of this delay personally. Struggling with his faith and sexuality, Simon felt suicidal and sought support. He turned to a Christian charity called Living Out. The organisation claims to help people, churches, and society talk about faith and sexuality.
For Simon, the experience was damaging. He tells Sky News that he was suicidal every day while hearing people claim that living a conservative Christian life made things better.
“Living Out was probably the place that my type of church would direct people to engage with questions of sexuality,” Simon explains.
Instead of finding acceptance, he encountered what he describes as a type of conversion practice. He felt trapped by loneliness and the fear that his community believed God would condemn him to hell if he did not follow their specific path.
Simon Burrows reflects on his experience with a Christian charity while navigating faith and sexuality, as renewed attention falls on the UK’s stalled conversion practices ban.#BanConversionTherapy #LGBTQ #UKNews #FaithAndSexuality #QueerStorieshttps://t.co/7a8k5raiJ6
— John Clevesy (@GayIPhoneApp) December 14, 2025
Faith groups push back against the ban.
Living Out promotes abstinence or marriage to the opposite sex for LGBTQIA+ Christians. Their co-founder, Sean Doherty, speaks openly about being same-sex attracted while maintaining a heterosexual marriage.
The organisation follows the Affirmations on the Bible, Sexuality and Same-Sex Attraction from the Evangelical Alliance. This document encourages congregations to welcome all people but insists that those living outside God’s purposes will eventually see the need to be transformed.
Ed Shaw, the ministry director for Living Out, defends their approach. He worries that a ban could prevent them from supporting people who want to live according to their Christian convictions.
“If suppression is saying to me, as I think Jesus says to me, you should not be in a same-sex relationship with other men, if that is suppression, Living Out is guilty of suppression,” Shaw admits.
He argues that he is simply repeating the instruction that sex is marriage between a man and a woman.
The government promises action next spring.
The UK government has stated that a draft bill banning conversion practices will be published before the end of the current parliamentary session. This is expected next spring in 2026.
Speaking directly to Sky News, a government spokesperson said that conversion practices are abuse and have no place in society. They confirmed that bringing forward legislation remains a priority.
However, the bill has faced significant hurdles. Politicians have struggled to define exactly what constitutes conversion therapy without infringing on legitimate psychological support or the role of teachers and religious leaders.
In the draft Conversion Therapy Prohibition (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Bill, practices are defined by two categories. These are acts intended to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, or acts intended to suppress a person’s expression of them.
Advocates demand immediate change.
For campaigners, the timeline is unacceptable. Saba Ali, the interim chair of the Ban Conversion Practices Coalition, believes the government has taken too long.
“Recognition of harm is important, but after seven years of unmet commitments, the LGBTQIA+ community needs to see action being taken,” she says.
She emphasises that conversion practices continue to inflict profound harm. Every day without a ban leaves vulnerable people at risk.
This article is based on an original investigation by Sky News.
