Government provides support for those who have been victims of conversion therapy

[OhHolyJesus]

Press release here:

The support service will help anyone who has been through, is at risk of, or is going through, conversion therapy
It is the first government-funded service of its kind in the world
Galop is the nation’s leading anti-violence LGBT charity
Today (Friday May 13) the Minister for Equalities, Mike Freer, has announced that Galop has been selected to deliver a first of its kind, Government-funded support service for victims of conversion therapy.

Anyone who considers themselves as having gone through, or being at risk of, LGBT conversion therapy will be able to use the service, which will be accessed via phone or online.

Once users make contact via a helpline, they will be provided with initial pastoral support, information, and tailored advice.

This new funding comes as the Government continues to prioritise public safety and strengthening the rights of victims.

Galop already works with the Home Office to deliver its LGBT domestic abuse helpline. They will bring their experience in providing understanding, support and guidance to LGBT victims of abuse and violence to delivering this vitally important service for LGBT people.

Minister for Equalities, Mike Freer, said:
“Conversion therapy blights people’s lives, and it will never achieve its intended outcomes.

“This practice has no place in modern society and we are taking action to ensure it is banned in the UK.

“We have chosen Galop to deliver this new service as they can draw on their significant expertise to deliver a successful service that provides victims of conversion therapy with effective and compassionate support.”

Leni Morris, Galop CEO, said:
“For the past 40 years, Galop has been serving the needs of the LGBT+ community, and providing victims of abuse and violence with somewhere to turn.

“We have been working with victims and survivors of so-called “conversion therapy” for many years, and we see the long-term, even life-long, effects this type of abuse can have. The people we work with often face significant barriers in finding information and seeking support when they are subjected to this kind of abuse, and we are glad to be able to use this funding to extend and expand the information and support available to all victims of conversion practices in the UK.

“The National Conversion Therapy Helpline is a vital lifeline for our community, and we are pleased it will continue to be here for all LGBT+ people who need it.”

The announcement is part of the Government’s mission to keep everyone across the UK safe, and it comes as the Queen’s Speech set out the intention to ban conversion therapy.

Galop was appointed after a competitive open tender process. Their existing Conversion Therapy Victim Support helpline will continue to operate, whilst Government funding is used to develop an instant messenger chat function and online centre of expertise about the damage caused by conversion therapy and how best to support those going through it.

All LGBT kids need this protection and help.

The main purpose of the Bill is to prevent the abuse of children being disguised as 'conversion therapy' and to prevent parents arguing they were just guiding the child away from being LGBT in accordance with their beliefs.

I hope orgs who claim to be able to 'cure' children will take note of this and also various convictions of evil 'healers' who forced autistic children to drink bleach.

Some LGBT kids have been through really horrific abuse. Forced ingestion of toxic substances while locked in a room, for example.

Humiliation is a major component of 'conversion therapy'. It is meant to break someone until they develop cPTSD. The destruction of the original person is the aim.

Children are also informed by the Bill that their parent cannot excuse abuse as 'belief'. Anyone who makes life intolerable for their LGBT child (punishing, starving, isolation, violence, verbal abuse) should fear it.

Those simply disagreeing with their LGBT child but still treating them with respect and not harming them, should fix their hearts but not fear it. Those of us who've tried to help abused and neglected children know how hard it is to get them help; as if a child will be removed for disagreement. Social workers know how awful the care system is and will always work to keep families together, even when people report harm.

It has always been illegal to force anyone to drink bleach and child abuse is not made legal by belief.

Child abuse and neglect has always been against the law.

As to 'fixing of hearts' it's an odd phrase to use, but people should certainly accept their children as they are, and not try to convince them that their happiness depends on becoming something they can never be. That does sound quite abusive.

Although I will say that some parents - parents desperate to help an unhappy child - may have made the wrong choice after being seriously misled. We must not automatically blame the parents

This should be a good thing.

However given the parties involved and the timing, I fear the real pupose of this is to create an "expert" voice in media and political debate who can provide the currently missing "proof" that conversion practices are a widespread and serious issue especially for trans people, based on anecdotes and stats from the self-selected population who calls their helpline. The same way that stats from targetted and self-selected online surveys have been used as "proof" that trans people are suffering almost constant hate crime which was then leveraged into trans-first policies.

I will still hope for the best, but when it comes to fair play by Genderists, my cynical side is right more often than my optimistic one.

Although, I may use it for help, support and practical advice every time I am told by a Genderist that I am cis, it's I just don't realise it because I don't understand the word or properly know myself.

Absolutely, it's not going to be ok for anyone to treat female people as if they have the same gender as trans women without checking, or even worse require us to act as if we do. I'll definitely need support with that.

Um... just realized: ZOMBIE THREAD.

(need more coffee)

Here's some factual info from a post on another thread by @BinTheConversionPracticesBill just to counter the hyperbole from another poster.

Below is a list of the offences that are already illegal under current laws. What the supporters of the bill are attempting to do is to get the fantasy notion of Gender Identity and non binary written into our laws. The bill makes no distinction between children and adults thus adultifying children and attempting to stop parents from safeguarding them by allowing any random stranger to make allegations that could be taken seriously.
The proposals also undermine both Cass and the new statutory child safeguarding guidelines - KCSIE. That's quite deliberate I fear.

"List of Offences already on the Statute Book or in Common Law
Conduct falling into these categories is already unlawful in England and Wales, thereby rendering the draft Bill unnecessary:
Physical violence, assault, beatings or physical punishment
Offences Against the Person Act 1861 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/24-25/100/introduction
s16 Threats to kill
s18 Wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm(“GBH”)
s20 Inflicting bodily injury, with or without weapon (“ABH”)
s21 Attempting to choke etc. in order to commit any indictable offence
s22 Using chloroform or other to commit any indictable offence
s23 Maliciously administering poison so as to endanger life or inflict GBH
s24 Maliciously administering poison etc with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy any other person
s42 Persons committing any common assault or battery [penalties]
s47 Penalty for conviction on indictment of ABH
Sexual touching, sexual assault or coerced sexual activity disguised as counselling, therapy, prayer or treatment Sexual Offences Act 2003 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/42/introduction/enacted
s1 Rape
s2 Assault by penetration
s3 Sexual assault
s4 Causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent
s5 Rape of a child under 13
s6 Assault of a child under 13 by penetration
s7 Sexual assault of a child under 13
s8 Causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
Child sex offences
s9 Sexual activity with a child
s10 Causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
s11 Engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child
s12 Causing a child to watch a sexual act
s13 Child sex offences committed by children or young persons
s14 Arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence
s15 Meeting a child following sexual grooming etc.
Abuse of position of trust:
s16 Sexual activity with a child
s17 Causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
s18 Sexual activity in the presence of a child
s19 Causing a child to watch a sexual act
s20 Acts done in Scotland
Positions of trust (“PoT”)
s21 sets out meaning of PoT for the purposes of ss16 to 19
s22 interpretation
Other offences
s66 Exposure
s67 Voyeurism
s68 Voyeurism: interpretation
Threats, intimidation and campaigns of harassment Protection from Harassment Act 1997 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1997/40/introduction
s1 Prohibition of harassment
s2 Offence of harassment
s2A Offence of stalking s3 Civil remedy
s3A Injunctions
s4 Putting people in fear of violence
s4A Stalking involving fear or violence or serious alarm or distress
s7 Interpretation applicable to sections 1 to 5A
s8 Harassment
s8A Harassment amounting to domestic abuse
Persistent monitoring, following or unwanted contact → Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (stalking offences)[see above] Children and Young Persons Act 1933 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/23-24/12/section/12
s1 Cruelty to persons under sixteen
s3 allowing persons under sixteen to reside in or frequent brothels
s4 causing or allowing child or young person under the age of 16 to be used for begging
s5 giving intoxicating liquor to children under five
s7 tobacco
s12 Failing to provide safety of children at entertainments
Coercion, manipulation, isolation or controlling behaviour within a family or intimate relationship Serious Crime Act 2015 and Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Serious Crime Act 2015 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/9/section/66
Part 5 Protection of children and others
Protection of children
s66 Child cruelty offence
amends s1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933
s67 Sexual communication with a child
s68 Child sexual exploitation
s69 Possession of paedophile manual
Domestic Abuse Act 2021 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/17
s1 Definition of domestic abuse
s2 Definition of personally connected
s3 Children as victims of domestic abuse
s22 Power to give a domestic abuse protection notice
s23 Provisions that may be made by notices
s24 Matters to be considered before giving a notice
s25 Further requirements in relation to notices
s26 Breach of notice
s27 Meaning of “Domestic Abuse Protection Order” (“DAPO”)
s28 DAPO on application [to the court]
s40 Arrest for breach of order
Holding someone against their will, preventing them from leaving, or confining them Common law offence of false imprisonment (see screenshots in PDF)
From Blackstone’s Criminal Practice 2020 edition
Taking someone abroad against their will for treatment, counselling or intervention
Kidnapping, abduction and false imprisonment offences
Forcing someone into a marriage as a means of changing or suppressing their sexuality
Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014
Physical, emotional or psychological abuse of a child
Children Act 1989, Children Act 2004 and statutory safeguarding frameworks
Neglecting a child or exposing them to significant harm
Child Protection Law and safeguarding duties
Emotional abuse or coercive treatment of vulnerable adults
Care Act 2014 safeguarding provisions
Fraudulent claims by practitioners offering cures, treatments or therapeutic interventions
Fraud Act 2006 and Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008
Misconduct by doctors, nurses, psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists or social workers
Professional regulatory frameworks including the GMC, NMC, HCPC, and Social Work England
Harassment or discrimination because someone is gay, lesbian or bisexual in employment or service provision
Equality Act 2010
Victimisation of someone for asserting their sexual orientation rights
Equality Act 2010
Threatening behaviour intended to cause fear or alarm
Public Order Act 1986
Malicious or threatening communications sent online or electronically
Communications Act 2003 and Online Safety-related offences"

People are protected by all these laws - if they're not used then we need to challenge why. Not create a draconian intrusion onto family life that, yet again, targets vulnerable children and attempts to remove safeguarding measures from them.

Oh! Thank you for flagging that. I'm glad it's not part of the current push for the manipulative, homophobic and sexist conversion pratices billl - though maybe part of the early positioning.

After work I will see if I can find out how things went.

I've asked for my comments to be deleted because, four years on, they're probably not relevant to current events in government. But, yes, we'll need to keep an eye on where they go with "services" IF the Conversion Bill becomes law.

Apologies for causing any confusion. I noticed that this was the only thread specifically about the 2022 Conversion Therapy Helpline and Support Service and that it had been left hanging in 2022 with no updates on the outcome.

The outcome, as reported by Sex Matters in July, is extremely relevant now to the Draft Conversion Practices Bill. It demonstrates very clearly that the horror stories promulgated by a PP are pure propaganda.

One would have thought that anyone genuinely concerned about the welfare of children and adults who claim to have a transgender identity would be delighted to find that no one is being tortured, poisoned, locked in cupboards, etc. and that there is no need for a Conversion Practices Help Line and Support Service - or a Conversion Practices Bill.

One therefore has to ask, why do they continue spouting scare-mongering lies?

🤔

£360,000 provided a very lucrative solution to a completely made-up problem.

There are plenty of examples of parents and others monetising these magical subjective identities, personally and institutionally.

Call me cynical but there are a lot of people who are more motivated by interest in the overflowing pots of gold than the rainbows.

What is an "LGBT" kid? Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified are different things. In many cases, transing a youth is gay conversion. In every case, transing is gender conversion.

One can only hope that some of the detransitioners seek help. Telling gay and lesbian kids they are trans is the ultimate conversion therapy

100 % agreed with everyones skepticism

This is a topic close to my heart as well. My teenaged son was struggling with homosexuality and an appalling attitude all around . He attended a faith based school before and I knew the community would be judgemental towards those inclinations. I dont think now I would've sent him to get treatment ( one of the people we tried was a family friend who used to work for the NHS and now runs their own private service) but should it really be 'illegal ' in all cases ? What if the teenager willingly goes ? What if it helps the teen? What if its compassionate and privacy based ? Who are the gov to stop parents raising their children the way they see fit if they have the best interests at heart which most parents do ?