ITV's Paul Brand on Kemi and conversion therapy

[ResisterRex]

Anyone else seen this today? Paul Brand tweeted an "exclusive" in a thread:

twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1587077362075721728

"EXCL: Further delay to long-promised conversion therapy ban, as Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch insists on reviewing work of her predecessor.

I understand plan had been for a Joint Committee of MPs and Lords to expedite a ban. Now that's up in the air.

Given this is the one key LGBT+ policy promised by successive governments from Theresa May to Boris Johnson to Liz Truss and now Rishi Sunak, there is growing disquiet among Conservative MPs that the party's reputation on LGBT+ equality is being damaged. 4.5 year delay in total.

It's normal for new ministers to review work of their department, but Badenoch has previously been an Equalities Minister, adding to the sense of merry-go-round and delay. Her position on a ban has previously been ambiguous and led to resignation of equalities advisors in 2021.

Nadhim Zahawi had favoured a Joint Committee, which could potentially expedite a ban by allowing MPs and Lords to scrutinise a bill at the same time. Campaigners hoped they could re-insert trans conversion therapy into the scope of a ban, after Boris Johnson took it out.

Likely that a Joint Committee would take oral evidence from witnesses, also allowing those with religious and other concerns to voice their opinions and help shape the bill, potentially finding an accommodation for all after years of delay. Now nobody knows what happens next.
This has reached boiling point for some Conservative MPs, who I understand are now seeking assurances from the PM himself that this ban is going ahead. Could potentially be some fireworks if he can't provide a clear answer."

Enter the GEO:

twitter.com/geogovuk/status/1587097743750844427?s=46&t=ZVPu6iU-LLM5O8tT9NPrsw

"This reporting is untrue. No policy decisions or requests were made as we waited for the new ministerial team to be announced, which only concluded at the weekend.

When decisions are made, they will be announced on gov.uk."

Enter Dodds:

twitter.com/anneliesedodds/status/1587119778921078785?s=46&t=ZVPu6iU-LLM5O8tT9NPrsw

Here we go again.

"Confusion, claim and counter-claim about whether the Conservatives are going to bring forward a Bill to ban conversion therapy.

While Ministers tie themselves in knots, Labour is crystal clear: we would introduce a full ban on conversion therapy."

question back at you. what would constitute conversion therapy for transgender children?

Well quite. Maybe, just maybe, politicians and civil servants are weighing up the Cass Review findings and working on a nuanced approach which safeguards all groups’ needs and interests. As was pointed out earlier in the year, there are already numerous protections in other legislation that cover gay conversion therapy so LGB people are largely protected, even if the law is clunky. Trans people are not one homogenous population with identical needs. The medicalisation route also has major drawbacks for other aspects of health, so caution and proper investigation are entirely justified.

We need a Cass Review for adults. A proper, non ideological, NICE review of all the evidence on 'trans healthcare'. And decisions as to what is, and what is not, good value to the NHS. We can't afford to fund cosmetic treatments, with no long term benefits to mental health, to anyone who fancies it. We also need research on detransitioners, and expert support for those who have damaged their bodies with hormones and surgery and now regret it.

The NHS gender clinics have been merrily going down a path of affirmation only care for adults, which is everyone over the age of 18. The numbers of damaged young people suing the NHS, because of the damage done to their bodies by rushing into medical treatment without proper psychological exploration of the reasons for their 'trans' feelings, is going to explode.

This is the website of my local gender clinic - their initial assessment is TWO appointments. After which you can be referred for hormones or surgery. Psychotherapy is optional.

forgot the link:
www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/services-offered-transgender-health

I wonder what Paul Brand has to say on conversion therapy to trans the gay away.

Yes, totally agree.

It was one of Johnson's best decisions and it was brave of him to do it at that late stage, as it caused that 'LGBT safe to be' Conference to be cancelled, when the TRAs all threw their toys out of the pram.
They had already decided not to implement self-id long before that though...another good decision. I think it was Liz Truss who made the announcement for that.

I watched Liz Truss's announcement in the Chamber live on BBC Parliament and saw the reaction of Crispin Blunt MP (Con) (Chair of the APPG on Global LGBTQ+) (friend of that paedo MP who got banged up).

Crispin was absolutely incensed.

So incensed that he let the cat out of the bag, which was that self-ID was already supposed to have been stitched up behind closed doors with his APPG and Theresa May, Penny Mordaunt and Maria Miller.

What other APPG has ever had that kind of clout? They are informal groups with no formal status in Parliament.