THE Scottish Tories will back a complete ban on conversion therapy despite the position of their bosses in London, the party has said.
Boris Johnson’s government sparked outrage after a double U-turn saw them look to scrap plans to ban conversion therapy, and then instead opt to ban it for everyone except trans people.
The mess led to the resignation of the UK Government’s LGBT business champion Iain Anderson, who said his role was “not LGB or T, and that’s why I’m walking away”.
It also led to the reported cancellation of the Safe To Be Me conference, which the Tories had arranged to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the London Pride marches, after more than 100 LGBT organisations withdrew in protest.
The criticism of a refusal to ban trans conversion therapy also came from within Johnson’s own party.
Jamie Wallis (above), the Tory backbencher who in late March became the first MP to come out as trans, said it was "wrong to exclude protections for a whole group of people from a practice described as ‘abhorrent’".
Former leader of the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson also criticised the move, saying the Government position that “conversion therapy is pernicious and wrong and has to be outlawed for gay people but not for trans people” was hard to understand.
Now, the current crop of Scottish Tories have also positioned themselves in opposition to Johnson, the Prime Minister the majority of them told to resign earlier this year.
The party’s gender reform spokesperson, Meghan Gallacher, said the party would be sticking to their manifesto pledge to ban conversion therapy.
She said: “As our manifesto for the 2021 Scottish Parliament election made clear, we are in favour of a ban on the abhorrent practice of conversion therapy.
"We continue to support a ban on conversion therapy, including trans conversion therapy, and we will vote for that ban if the legislation comes through the Scottish Parliament."
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Douglas Ross's party aligns with the reported stance taken by Equalities Minister Liz Truss, who is said to be "furious" at the U-turns from No 10.
The Scottish Government said in August 2021: “Scottish Ministers are clear that if the UK’s proposals do not result in banning conversion therapy in Scotland, we will bring forward our own legislation, in so far as is possible within the powers of the Scottish Parliament.”
The UK 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”.
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