Integrity Score 210
No Records Found
No Records Found
France’s parliment voted to ban ‘conversion’ therapy on Tuesday, setting the country to join a list of 14 countries that have measures in place to protect people from the harmful practice that baselessly claims to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
The bill must be signed by French President Emmanuel Macron to become a law that would enforce a fine ranging from €30,000 to €45,000 and two to three years in prison for practicing conversion therapy, based on the age and ‘vulnerability’ of the person being subjected to the practice.
It will also include a 10 year ban on medical professionals engaging in the practice, along with internet regulations requiring a restriction on ‘conversion’ therapy content.
“Being oneself isn’t a crime,” said Minister for Equality between ‘Women and Men’ Elisabeth Moreno. “No, homosexuality and trans identity aren’t sicknesses that can be cured. No, there is nothing to cure.”
LGBTQ youth who were subjected to conversion therapy are twice as likely to be at risk of suicide compared to those who weren’t and transgender and nonbinary youth are twice as likely to be subjected to conversion therapy, Trevor Project’s 2021 National Mental Health Survey of LGBTQ+ Youth reports.
“From injections to electric shocks, prayer to rape, the myriad methods used to try to change or suppress the sexual desire or gender identity of LGBT+ people have been condemned as harmful and ineffective by numerous medical groups globally,” Reuters reports.
Another 11 countries are proposing bans on ‘conversion’ therapy, according to Thomson Reuters Foundation research.
-
If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or is at risk of suicide, contact Trevor Project’s Lifeline 24/7/365 at 1-866-488-7386
Reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at: 1-800-273-8255, https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/
Contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 74174