Petitions to Parliament · 2019 to 2024 Parliament (archived)

Make LGBT conversion therapy illegal in the UK

This petition gathered 256,392 signatures between 13 March 2020 and 13 September 2020, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 21 May 2020. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 8 March 2021.

The petition

The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.

Make LGBT conversion therapy illegal in the UK

I would like the Government to:

• make running conversion therapy in the UK a criminal offence

• forcing people to attend said conversion therapies a criminal offence

• sending people abroad in order to try to convert them a criminal offence

• protect individuals from conversion therapy

Despite all major counselling and psychotherapy bodies in the UK, including the NHS, condemning LGBT conversion therapy, it is still legal and LGBT individuals in the UK are still exposed to this psychological and emotional abuse to this day. The very thought of this sickens me, and I would like to see it stopped one day.

The Government's response

The Government published its response on 21 May 2020; the petitions site lists the Cabinet Office and Home Office as responsible. Its summary:

The Government is committed to ensuring all citizens feel safe and protected from harm. We will work to deepen our understanding and consider all options for ending the practice of conversion therapy.

The response in full:

It is a fundamental principle of this Government that everyone should be free to live their lives as they wish. People must feel safe at home, out on the street and online.

Conversion therapy is a very complex issue. There are a wide range of practices which may fall within its scope and we want to ensure we have a thorough understanding of the situation in the UK to inform an effective approach. Before any decision is made on proposals for ending conversion therapy we must understand the problem, the range of options available and the impact they would have.

It is important to stress that certain abhorrent and violent practices which may be classed as conversion therapy such as ‘corrective’ rape, or other forms of physical abuse, are already covered by existing criminal offences. Where such practices are already unlawful, we will ensure the law is clear, well understood and enforced. Where dangerous conversion therapy practices are not already unlawful, we will examine the best ways to prevent them being conducted, without sending such practices underground. As we have said previously, we are not trying to prevent LGBT people from seeking spiritual support from their faith leader or others in the exploration of their sexual orientation.

The UK Government is committed to ensuring all citizens feel safe and are protected from harm. This is why we will work to deepen our understanding and consider all options for ending the practice of conversion therapy.

Government Equalities Office

Where the signatures came from

Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 1,579, came from Brighton, Pavilion.

253,566 of the signatures were from the UK and 2,826 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.

Debate in Parliament

MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 8 March 2021. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.

Source and receipt

• https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/300976.json
  UK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256 365690a806eaeea4…
• The petition on petition.parliament.uk

The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.