A quarter of people who use the services of the LGBTQ+ anti-abuse charity Galop have undergone some form of so-called “conversion therapy”, the organization has revealed.
The shocking figure comes at a time when the government is about to introduce landmark, long-promised legislation that would ban the practice.
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The so-called conversion therapy refers to practices that attempt to change or suppress someone’s gender orientation or identity. These practices may include verbal, psychological, physical and sexual violence and abuse.
Galop was selected last May to provide a support service for victims of conversion therapy, the first of its kind to be funded by the government.
A Galop spokesperson revealed that although they can’t reveal exact numbers, a staggering 25% of people who use their services have experienced some form of conversion practice.
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The Conservatives first vowed to end conversion therapy in 2018, during Theresa May’s tenure as prime minister, but in 2022 her successor Boris Johnson announced plans to quietly drop the ban altogether.
Following angry public outcry, the Conservatives backtracked and announced they would legislate against conversion therapy, but said it would only cover lesbians, gays and bisexuals, leaving out protections for trans men and women.
In a statement to the House of Commons last week, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Michelle Donelan said the government “recognizes the strength of sentiment on the issue of conversion practices harmful”, and “remains committed to protecting people from these practices and ensuring that they can live their lives free from the threat of harm or abuse”.
He added: “The bill will protect everyone, including people attacked for their sexuality or for being transgender.”
The 2018 National LGBT Survey revealed that of the 108,000 people who participated, two percent had undergone conversion or reparative therapy in an attempt to “cure” themselves from being LGBT, while another five percent had been offered .
However, this figure could be much higher, as the latest 2021 census data shows around 1.7 million people in the UK are LGBTQ+.
Leni Morris, CEO of Galop, said: “As the UK’s leading LGBT+ abuse charity, [trabajamos] directly with thousands of victims and survivors of abuse and violence each year.
“Although the LGBT+ community has known for decades that there are people who use abuse and violence to try to change or suppress our identities, there is a common misconception in the general public that conversion practices are a thing of the past and that today in day are not given in the UK.
“Galop has been working with victims of conversion practices for years – including managing the National Conversion Therapies Helpline – and we not only see very clearly that this is happening now, but also that it is happening to a significant number of us. In the last year alone, 25% of clients under the age of 25 have sought our help because they are being subjected to this type of abuse.
“LGBT+ people don’t need to be changed or cured. What we need is for conversion practices to be totally prohibited by law. The people we work with, and our entire community, deserve protection now.”
jo’s story
Along with the numbers, Galop shared the story of Jo, who underwent conversion practices at the hands of a mental health clinician.
Names have been changed to protect identities.
A few years ago, when Jo was a teenager, they checked into a mental health facility for treatment.
Jo’s treating clinician discovered that she did not identify as heterosexual and cisgender and began to treat this as a symptom of the disorder she had been diagnosed with.
The clinician correlated Jo’s disorder with her identity, and attempted to “fix” Jo and force her to behave as a straight, cis person as part of her broader treatment. This made Jo feel ashamed and angry with herself for being LGBT+.
Since the clinician controlled Jo’s entire medication and treatment plan, Jo felt pressured to stick to it.
Only now, after leaving the service, has Jo been able to recognize her experience as a conversion practice that continues to resonate with her to this day.
Need help? You can access the National Helpline for Conversion Therapies by calling 0800 130 3335 or by sending an email to [email protected]. It is open from Monday to Thursday between 10:00 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., and on Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
