Jail time and unlimited fines planned under conversion practices ban
Summary
The UK government plans to introduce a law making conversion practices—acts aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity—illegal with jail terms up to five years and unlimited fines. The bill will define conversion practices as abusive acts that seriously harm victims and introduce new legal protections to prevent such abuse.Key Facts
- The draft Conversion Practices Bill criminalizes abusive acts that try to change someone’s sexual orientation or transgender identity.
- People who perform conversion practices could face prison sentences of up to five years and unlimited fines.
- The bill includes new court orders called Conversion Practice Protection Orders to protect people at risk.
- Existing domestic abuse laws do not cover the unique harm caused by conversion practices, leading to the new legislation.
- Around 5% of LGBT+ respondents in a 2018 survey said they were offered conversion therapy, and 2% underwent it.
- Anti-LGBT charity Galop reported over 300 calls between 2022 and 2025 about conversion practices, including cases of physical violence and forced marriages.
- The government plans exemptions for legitimate healthcare and aims to only criminalize abusive acts, not exploratory conversations.
- Legislation to ban conversion practices has been promised since 2018 but faced delays and controversy.
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