Quakers welcome conversion practice ban, but warn of loopholes
Quakers in Britain have welcomed a government draft bill banning conversion practices in England and Wales but warn its current form leaves some room for abuse to continue.
The bill would outlaw attempts to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity, with offenders facing up to five years in prison and an unlimited fine.
It comes eight years after then-Prime Minister Theresa May first promised a ban, with plans delayed under successive governments since.
Quakers in Britain have a longstanding commitment to LGBTQIA+ inclusion and are one of only a small number of faith groups to have campaigned for same sex marriage and publicly committed to trans and non-binary inclusion.
Quakers in Britain welcomed the bill but raised concerns. They said some of the provisions are vague and problematic, meaning that people will continue to be placed at risk of harm.
They plan to engage with parliamentarians to improve the wording of the bill as it goes through parliamentary processes.
Quakers in Britain has long held that conversion therapy constitutes inhuman and degrading treatment that cannot be justified on religious grounds.
Responding to a previous consultation on this issue, they said: “Each individual's unique identity should be celebrated.
“We see attempts to compel people to change, suppress or “cure" their identity as a failure to recognise that of God in each person."