LONDON — The British government announced plans Thursday to make harmful practices aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity a criminal offense.
Officials released a draft Conversion Practices Bill covering England and Wales that would ban these so-called conversion therapies outright. Anyone convicted of carrying out such practices could face an unlimited financial penalty, a prison sentence of up to five years, or both.
The proposed legislation would go even further by making it a crime to encourage or assist conversion therapies that take place outside England and Wales.
Britain first committed to banning conversion practices in 2021, reaffirming that pledge in January 2023. The newly released draft bill represents the government’s most concrete step yet toward fulfilling that promise.
Beyond criminal penalties, the bill would establish civil protections for individuals considered at risk of abuse — modeled after existing legal safeguards already in place for victims of forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
The draft legislation does include exemptions for what officials described as legitimate healthcare. Under those provisions, therapists and counselors would still be permitted to hold open discussions with clients about issues of sexuality and personal identity.
Before the bill can be introduced to parliament for a full debate, it will first go through a pre-legislative review process.
