Let Us Pray challenges Scot Govt’s ‘one-sided’ approach to conversion therapy ban

The Scottish Equalities Minister has been challenged on her “one-sided” engagement with proposed legislation to ban so called ‘conversion therapy’.

Campaign group Let Us Pray published an open letter to Simita Kumar MSP, after she told the Holyrood Equalities Committee that her team “engage with LGBTQI stakeholders on a very regular basis”, asking why groups opposing the ban have not had the same level of engagement.

The Scottish Government’s own consultation found that, of the 5,717 responses, 52 per cent opposed a new law covering “acts or courses of behaviour intended to ‘suppress’ another person’s sexual orientation or gender identity”.

A Conversion Practices Draft Bill is currently progressing through Westminster. While it currently only applies to England and Wales, the Scottish Government has asked Westminster to legislate for Scotland.

One-sided approach

Let Us Pray, which is a campaign of The Christian Institute, urged the Equalities Minister to arrange an in-person meeting “about our well-founded concerns over introducing new legislation in this area”.

The letter stated the group’s concern about “what appears to be a heavily one-sided approach to engagement. One short online meeting every couple of years with your officials is nothing like the ‘very regular’ engagement you state you are having with LGBTQI groups.”

It quoted KC Aidan O’Neill’s legal opinion that a broad ‘conversion therapy’ ban risks criminalising “parents who, lovingly and in good faith” seek to “caution and direct their children” against pursuing so-called ‘treatments’ to affirm their perceived gender identity, such as taking infertility-causing cross-sex hormones, surgery, or wearing a ‘chest binder’.

Opportunities denied

Let Us Pray spokeswoman Joanna Timm commented: “When Holyrood’s Equalities Committee took evidence in 2021, eight of the nine evidence sessions heard from groups calling for a broad conversion therapy ban.

“Those of us with concerns were denied equivalent opportunities. Hearing the Equalities Minister talk about her department’s regular engagement with LGBTQI groups on this issue feels uncomfortably familiar.”

She continued: “People identifying as gay and trans are already protected under Scots law. A conversion therapy ban could see innocent parents and pastors reported to the police for expressing ordinary views on sex and gender that LGBTQI groups consider objectionable.

“But the Minister may not be aware of this because she’s only meeting with people who already agree with her policy.”