LGB Alliance has announced plans for a parliamentary lobby on 1 September as it steps up its opposition to the Government's proposed Conversion Practices Bill.
The anti-trans campaign group is encouraging supporters to meet MPs in Westminster ahead of the next stage of scrutiny of the draft legislation, which was published by the Government in June and aims to ban abusive conversion practices in England and Wales.
According to LGB Alliance, the parliamentary lobby will focus on concerns that the proposed legislation could affect discussions around gender identity and what it describes as "exploratory therapy" for children and young people. The organisation has published a series of policy briefings urging MPs to amend or oppose elements of the bill.
The move is likely to draw criticism from LGBTQ+ organisations and campaigners, many of whom have spent years calling for a comprehensive, trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices.
The Government says the draft legislation is designed to protect LGBTQ+ people from physical and psychological harm caused by attempts to change or suppress a person's sexual orientation or trans identity. Under the proposals, those found guilty of carrying out abusive conversion practices could face an unlimited fine, a prison sentence of up to five years, or both.
Ministers have argued that existing laws do not adequately address conversion practices and that new legislation is needed to close legal loopholes and better protect victims. The draft bill also includes protection orders designed to safeguard people at risk of abuse.
LGBTQ+ rights organisations have broadly welcomed the publication of the bill, while continuing to push for what they describe as robust protections for both sexual orientation and gender identity. Amnesty International UK described the legislation as a significant step forward after years of delays and called for a "fully trans inclusive" law.
Campaigners supporting a ban argue that conversion practices remain a serious issue affecting LGBTQ+ people across the UK. They say such practices can involve coercion, intimidation, manipulation and other forms of psychological abuse designed to change or suppress a person's identity.
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