For Women Scotland call for pause on conversion therapy ban

The Scottish Government should pause its plans to ban conversion therapy until there is more clarity on “best practice” for people who are questioning their gender, a women’s group has said.

For Women Scotland, in a letter to Holyrood’s equalities committee, warned a “gender affirmative” approach “may not be appropriate for most children”.

An affirmative approach supports a person to live in a gender which is different from their sex at birth.

MSPs spoke overwhelmingly in favour of a ban on conversion therapy - which seek to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity - in a debate led by the committee on Tuesday afternoon.

The government intends to bring forward legislation before the end of 2023.

In a report published earlier this year, the committee said that “affirmative therapies should be protected under any ban”.

It also said a clear definition of affirmative therapy “would be helpful for the medical profession and counselling services”.

Speaking in yesterday’s debate, equalities minister Christina McKelvie confirmed the government’s commitment to ending conversion practices.

She said: “I want to end these practices once and for all, and make sure that everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, is safe from conversion practices in Scotland.”

All parties represented in the chamber back the move and several MSPs urged the government to act as quickly as possible to implement the ban.

But For Women Scotland co-director Trina Budge said the “best way to support young people experiencing gender distress has not yet been determined”.

Pointing to the Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People in England, which published interim recommendations last week, Budge said: “There are several references to clinicians' concerns about the pressure to adopt an unquestioning gender-affirmative approach which is at odds with their professional training and is based on poor or non-existent evidence.

“[The review] suggests there should be a fundamentally different service model involving holistic care that recognises the full range of support and treatment options available, and affirmation and medical transition may not be appropriate for most children.”

The Scottish Government has convened an expert group to shape the legislative ban.

The equalities committee recommended it use the definition set out by the UN’s Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, which is: “an umbrella term to describe interventions of a wide-ranging nature, all of which have in common the belief that a person's sexual orientation or gender identity can and should be changed.”