Ensure Trans people are fully protected under any conversion therapy ban
The Parliament petitions site records 149,167 signatures for this petition, which closed on 20 October 2022. The Government responded on 12 May 2022. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 13 June 2022.
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.
Ensure Trans people are fully protected under any conversion therapy ban
Ensure any ban fully includes trans people and all forms of conversion therapy.
It's shameful that the UK intends to deliberately exclude trans people from a ban in contrast to the approach taken by many countries, despite trans people being at a greater risk of experiencing the harmful & degrading practices.
The government's own figures show that trans people are nearly twice as likely to be at risk of experiencing the harmful & degrading practices of conversion therapy. A ban needs to ensure all forms of conversion therapy are banned.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 12 May 2022; the petitions site lists the Cabinet Office as responsible. Its summary:
We will introduce a ban protecting everyone from attempts to change their sexual orientation. Recognising the complexity of issues we will consider the issue of transgender conversion therapy further.
The response in full:
Conversion therapy practices do not work and can cause long-lasting harm. We are committed to banning these abhorrent practices by introducing an offence that protects children and those that are unwillingly subjected to talking conversion practices, as well as by strengthening provisions against physical conversion practices.
We will bring forward a ban that protects everyone from attempts to change their sexual orientation. There are different considerations when it comes to transgender conversion therapy and the Government remains committed to exploring these.
One of the complexities is that those who experience gender dysphoria may seek talking therapy. It is vital that legitimate support is not inadvertently impacted.
The Government’s actions to protect people from conversion therapy extend beyond legislating. We will deliver a support service for victims via a contracted helpline and website which will provide initial pastoral support, and signposting to services such as counselling and advice about emergency housing. The successful delivery partner will be announced in due course. We continue to engage with stakeholders from LGBT, faith and medical backgrounds to ensure that our proposals and services are effective and well understood.
We will bring forward a ban that protects everyone from attempts to change their sexual orientation as soon as parliamentary time allows. We remain committed to exploring how best to protect people from these practices and will provide further updates in due course.
Cabinet Office
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 1,184, came from Hackney North and Stoke Newington.
147,742 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,425 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Hackney North and Stoke Newington | 1,184 |
| Bethnal Green and Bow | 1,172 |
| Hackney South and Shoreditch | 1,138 |
| Brighton, Pavilion | 1,134 |
| Lewisham, Deptford | 1,114 |
| Manchester Central | 1,090 |
| Bristol West | 1,034 |
| Bermondsey and Old Southwark | 979 |
| Vauxhall | 949 |
| Islington North | 866 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 30,351 |
| South East | 22,168 |
| North West | 14,982 |
| South West | 13,147 |
| East of England | 12,587 |
| Scotland | 12,534 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 10,769 |
| West Midlands | 8,947 |
| East Midlands | 8,619 |
| Wales | 6,159 |
| North East | 4,542 |
| Northern Ireland | 1,980 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 13 June 2022. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/613556.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
2721263a4ae9618c… - 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.