Hello everyone and welcome back to the blog for general thoughts and topics. I hope you are all having a great week so far! I have a specific post coming up and in the works but it will take a while to get out so please bare with me whilst I give the piece the justice it deserves. Please enjoy this week’s post and I’ll see you all next week!
Throughout the years there has been a steady and growing number of people who are a part of the LGBTQA+ community. Throughout history there has been one particular concern, besides family rejection and general population acceptance, that the community is working hard to change. The horrible practice of ‘Gay Conversion Therapy’ as it is most known as is still an ongoing problem in the modern world.
What is Conversion Therapy?
It was first introduced in the early 1900’s as a way of curing the homosexual orientation. Such therapy can include a variety of shaming, emotional and physical intimidation as well as emotionally traumatic experiences. The most popular method of choice is to electrocute patients into associating gay feelings or sexual urges to the shocks so their minds will want to ‘revert back’ to being heterosexual. Despite there being no proof that conversion therapy works, as most governing medical bodies deem it to be a futile practice that does more harm to a patient, which can include suicide or depressive tendencies.
Why is this still a problem?
Part of the problem comes through mis-informed parents or carers and a lack of understanding and acceptance for those who are gay or a part of the LGBTQA+ community. Many parents still consider conversion therapy a viable source to have their children ‘turn back to normal’ and will often pressure kids into undergoing this awful treatment. There are some countries around the world who still actively promote this practice.
Who has recently banned Conversion Therapy?
In a celebratory moment earlier this month Germany is one of the few countries in the world who has banned conversion therapy for minors. The legislation was pushed through government and groups who offer the service to minors could be dealt with a £30,000 fine or a year in prison. Anyone who is found aiding or threatening a minor with this service could be seeing the same punishments.
Which countries can minors still receive conversion therapy?
Shockingly enough the U.K. is still one of these countries. It was supposed to have had talks earlier in 2018 after then Prime Minister Theresa May was in power. Yet all conversations for banning the abominable act have been held simply put because it’s a “complex issue” as phrased by Kemi Baednoch who was the Equalities Minister at the time. She says that there were “several other practices that could fall within this scope and each needed to be thoroughly investigated before any decision was to be announced if at all.” To which I simply do not agree with. It is not difficult to ban conversion therapy, as so kindly demonstrated by Germany.
Once again I hope you are all doing well and that you have a great week and you stay safe.
twirlsandcoco
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