THE UK's first transgender MP said he is “bitterly disappointed” that people who identify as a different gender to the one they are born into will be excluded from plans to ban conversation therapy.
Jamie Wallis, Conservative MP for Bridgend, last week came out as trans in a highly personal statement.
Taking to Twitter on Monday, the 37-year-old rallied against UK Government ministers’ plans to limit a ban on conversion therapy to gay people.
He said it was “wrong to exclude protections for a whole group of people from a practice described as ‘abhorrent’”.
The backbencher argued that it would be a “broken promise” to allow conversion therapy to be banned, but for it not to apply to trans people.
The outcome of a double U-turn by the Prime Minister last week, in which he appeared to flip-flop on whether to legislate against conversion therapy, has reportedly seen No 10 settle on outlawing “only gay conversion therapy, not trans”.
When announcing the initial consultation into the conversion therapy ban, the UK Government declared: “The proposed protections are universal: an attempt to change a person from being attracted to the same-sex to being attracted to the opposite-sex, or from not being transgender to being transgender, will be treated in the same way as the reverse scenario.
“They therefore protect everyone.”
READ MORE: Boris Johnson warned of 'Section 28 moment' after trans conversion therapy ban U-turn
LGBT and religious leaders, including former archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, have put pressure on Boris Johnson to include trans people in a ban on conversion therapy.
In a series of tweets, Wallis said: “I’m bitterly disappointed at the Government’s decision not to include gender identity in the ban on conversion therapy.
“Many have asked what my thoughts are. I’ve always believed that this debate attracts unnecessary hysteria and toxicity, and meaningful results can only come from meaningful debate. Understandably, concerns need to be looked at and debated, but it is wrong to exclude protections for a whole group of people from a practice described as ‘abhorrent’.
“I hope the announcement that a separate piece of work will now be done on this issue will be done at speed.
“If the CT (conversion therapy) ban passes through Parliament without any protections for the transgender community, it cannot be described as anything other than a broken promise.”
Ruth Davidson also criticised the UK Government’s stance on trans conversion therapy. She said she understood why LGBT organisations were flocking away from the Tories’ “Safe To Be Me” conference.
The former Scottish Tory leader added: “It’s very hard to understand why the Government's position can be that something like conversion therapy is pernicious and wrong and has to be outlawed for gay people but not for trans people. I don’t understand the internal logic of that.”
The Equalities Minister Liz Truss is "furious" over the Government's change in policy, insiders have told Pink News.
The site reported Truss felt Downing Street has "gone over her head" by changing its stance on the issue.
She will reportedly attempt to get the Government to revert to its original position.
The Government has said trans people should be “treated with the maximum possible generosity and respect” but that the “complexity of issues requires separate work to further consider transgender conversation therapy”.
Meanwhile, the Scottish and Welsh governments have pledged to push on with plans for a trans-inclusive conversion therapy ban.
Christina McKelvie, Scotland’s minister for equalities and older people, said: “Conversion practices that try to change a person’s sexuality or gender identity are harmful, discriminatory, and have no place in our society.
“We are committed to ensuring Scotland has legislation that will be comprehensive in banning conversion practices as far as possible within our devolved competences while safeguarding the freedoms of speech, religion and belief.
“We are also considering what non-legislative steps we can take to end conversion practices, and support survivors.”
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