Key facts
- Conversion practices aiming to change sexual orientation or transgender identity will be banned in England and Wales.
- Those found guilty face up to five years in prison and unlimited fines.
- New criminal offenses will target the carrying out of harmful conversion practices and encouraging them abroad.
- Conversion Practice Protection Orders will be introduced to safeguard individuals at risk.
- The legislation defines conversion practices as abusive acts that seriously harm the victim.
- Exemptions are proposed for legitimate healthcare, with a high threshold for criminal offenses.
Plans to ban conversion practices in England and Wales are set to be introduced in Parliament, with legislation proposing jail sentences of up to five years and unlimited fines for those found guilty of abusive acts aimed at changing someone's sexual orientation or transgender identity. The draft Conversion Practices Bill defines such practices as conduct that "aims to change someone's sexual orientation or transgender identity through abusive acts that seriously harm the victim."
Minister for Equalities Olivia Bailey stated that legal loopholes have left LGBT+ people vulnerable to these harmful acts, which are driven by the false belief that being LGBT+ is shameful. The government asserts that existing laws do not adequately address the unique nature of these abusive practices. Two new criminal offenses will be created: one for carrying out conversion practices that cause serious harm, alarm, or distress, and another for encouraging or assisting such practices outside of England and Wales. Additionally, Conversion Practice Protection Orders are proposed to preemptively protect those deemed at risk.
Data from the anti-LGBT abuse charity Galop indicates a significant number of reported conversion practices, with over 300 calls logged between 2022 and 2025. Analysis of 195 calls revealed instances of physical and sexual violence, forced marriages, and individuals being forcibly taken abroad for conversion practices. The majority of these cases were reported as ongoing or recent, and more than half were initiated by parents. Common forms of abuse included coercive and controlling behavior, religion-based practices like forced prayer and exorcisms, and physical violence.
The government has stated that the proposals include exemptions for legitimate healthcare and set a high threshold for criminality, ensuring only abusive acts seeking to change identity are covered. However, concerns have been raised by some groups, including the Christian Legal Centre, that the legislation could inadvertently criminalize exploratory conversations about gender identity or sexual orientation, or restrict freedom of speech and prayer. The Christian Legal Centre's chief executive, Andrea Minichiello Williams, has indicated plans for a legal challenge against any ban.
Conversely, individuals like Baptist minister Justin Kennedy, who underwent harmful conversion practices in his youth, have welcomed the ban, sharing personal experiences of shame and suicidal ideation resulting from 'deliverance therapy.' Pre-legislative scrutiny for the bill is expected to commence in the coming weeks and last approximately three months, followed by stages in the House of Commons and House of Lords before it can become law.