Conversion therapy banned under new plans

Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt, development secretary and the minister for women and equalities, an LGBT action plan is a step toward people ‘being able to live safe’.

A major government survey found LGBT couples felt unsafe holding hands in public, and that two per cent of 108,000 respondents said they had undergone conversion therapy. Five per cent had been offered it.

The controversial practice, which aims to force someone into being heterosexual, has been criticised as dangerous and morally bankrupt.

Ms Mordaunt said: ‘Everyone in this country should feel safe and happy to be who they are, and to love who they love, without judgement or fear. I am incredibly proud of the UK’s global leadership on LGBT equality and the fact that this is the largest survey of its kind, but many of the results are very disturbing.

‘It’s unacceptable that people feel they cannot hold hands with their partner in public, and that they are unable to walk down the street without fear of abuse. It is also deeply worrying that LGBT people experience difficulty accessing public services such as healthcare, and that so many are being offered the abhorrent practise of conversion therapy.

‘This government has done much to promote a diverse, tolerant society and supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people – but it is clear we have more to do.’