Banning conversion, suppression and change practices focused on sexuality and gender has become a focal issue in the New South Wales election campaign.
Independent MP Alex Greenwich released his plan for bill that would be in line with similar legislation already introduced in Victoria, Queensland and the ACT. The Western Australian government has also vowed to bring in legislation in the wake of investigations into Perth based facility Esther House.
Greenwich said he’d be looking for a commitment to enacting the legislation if he’s asked to give support to either side of politics wanting to form government.
The Labor party committed to bringing in legislation if they unseat the Perrottet government at the polls. Leader Chris Minns didn’t commit to supporting Greenwich’s specific bill but said a Labor government would tackle the issue.
Describing the practice as “dangerous and damaging”, Minns committed to bringing in new laws.
“We should not have a situation where children are being told something is wrong with them and that they need to be fixed,” he said on Saturday.
Conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy or sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts (SOGICE), is a pseudoscientific practice that aims to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. This type of therapy is based on the premise that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or any other non-heterosexual orientation or gender identity is a mental illness or disorder that needs to be cured.
However, this notion has been discredited by numerous medical and psychiatric organisations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the American Medical Association (AMA), who have stated that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender is not a mental disorder, and that conversion therapy can be harmful.
With Labor announcing they will form a working group between the health and justice sectors to look into the development of legislation, pressure is building on current New South Wales Liberal leader Dominic Perrottet to commit to legislative change.
NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham has voiced his opposition to the introduction of a conversion therapy ban.
“NSW Labor supports the gender fluidity of a 7yo boy becoming a girl but wants to ban ‘conversion therapy’ on sexual/gender identity of children, including counselling services. Parents need to be in charge of the wellbeing of their children, not politicians who’ve never met them.” Latham posted to his Twitter account.
OIP Staff
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