“Rishi Sunak should hang his head in shame”
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE VIA TWITTER (@STONEWALLUK)
After delivering more than 2,000 postcards to Rishi Sunak’s government to criticise their delay in banning conversion therapy, LGBTQIA charity Stonewall protested on 14 September near the Houses of Parliament.
Despite making promises to put an end to conversion therapy in the UK – a harmful practice used to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity – Sunak’s government appears as though it will not meet its initial deadline of 7 November to refine the Bill which would ban it.
Stonewall have previously criticised Sunak for taking a summer holiday in California instead of working on said Bill, and at the protest yesterday they read out statements from the postcards such as “Abuse doesn’t take a summer holiday”.
Jayne Ozanne, the Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition chairperson, told PinkNews: “We’re here today in anger and frustration at the government’s complete failure to commit to any legislation to ban these abusive practices.”
In a message to Sunak, Ozanne continued: “History will not judge you kindly. LGBTQ+ people deserve respect, but, most of all, protection and we need you to act.”
There were also a number of MPs in attendance at the protest alongside Stonewall including Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran who said: “A ban should’ve been in place years ago. Rishi Sunak should hang his head in shame.”
In 2018, the Conservatives promised an end to conversion therapy in the UK. Five years later we are still waiting.
Labour MP, Nadia Whittome, told Attitude magazine: “It’s now been five years and four Prime Ministers since the Conservatives pledged to ban conversion therapy.
“With no sign of a Bill and this session of Parliament due to end soon, this Tory government clearly cannot be trusted to do the right thing and keep its promises. It’s disgraceful that LGBTQIA people are still being denied the most basic protection.”
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