Conversion practices can involve practices and therapies like counselling, camps and exorcisms. They are underpinned by an ideology that LGBTQA+ people are broken and need to be fixed. There is significant evidence that conversion practices are severely psychologically damaging and that they don’t work. The peak medical and mental health colleges and organisations have denounced the practices.

Last year I introduced a bill to ban LGBTQA+ conversion practices, however it was put on hold to await government legislation. The government has now introduced its own bill and debate and vote will happen this week. The bill is similar to mine in terms of definitions, offences and the focus on a civil scheme through Anti-Discrimination NSW. It provides a strong framework to ban conversion practices and I will support it.  

The Parliament also unanimously agreed to progress my LGBTIQA+ Equality Bill to the Legislative Assembly’s Community Services Committee, which will also look at ways to improve LGBTIQA+ community safety and well-being. 

There is a loud campaign to water the bill down with disturbing commentary that condones what should be described as torture in the name of religion. I hope the bill passes and that members engage in a respectful debate.