New Zealand Announces A New Bill That Prohibits Conversion Therapy For Members Of The LGBT Community
As you may know. the Supreme Court decriminalized section 377 of the IPC back in 2018. It was a momentous win. But since then the fight for LGBT rights has come to a drastic standstill. Every pride month everyone marches in parades and organizations change their logos but that isn’t nearly enough. People from the rainbow community are still ostracized from society. But that doesn’t mean that the battle is over. Things, around the world, are changing for the better. For instance, recent, New Zealand introduced a bill that prohibits LGBT+ conversion therapy practices. This is a big step forward.
In most countries, including ours, when someone comes out to their family they are subjected to harmful conversion therapy. This could range from talk (or shock) therapy to exorcisms and even “corrective rape” for lesbians. Obviously, none of these work because it’s not possible to change someone’s sexual orientation. Despite the myth that is widely believed, it’s not a choice. Hence, to protect members of the LGBT+ community from having to go through this severe torture, on Friday, New Zealand proposed up to five years in prison for practices intended to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
In a statement, Justice Minister Kris Faafoi said, “Conversion practices have no place in modern New Zealand. They are based on the false belief that any person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression is broken and in need of fixing. He further added, “Health professionals, religious leaders and human rights advocates here and overseas have spoken out against these practices as harmful and having the potential to perpetuate prejudice, discrimination and abuse towards members of rainbow communities.”
New Zealand introduces bill to outlaw LGBT conversion therapy https://t.co/e3roONIj0G pic.twitter.com/nCwHbWLv4v
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 30, 2021
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Under this new bill, anyone performing conversion therapy on a person below the age of 18 or on someone with impaired decision-making capacity will face jail time up to three years. However, the practices that cause serious harm carry a sentence of up to five years. The New Zealand government said that this bill does not address the general principles or beliefs about homosexuality. Ending conversion therapy was one of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s campaign promises when she was elected for a second term.
According to reports, laws against conversion therapy are becoming increasingly popular all around the world. It’s great to see governments working towards equality for the LGBT+ community. Although, I can’t help but wonder if India will ever be able to catch up?
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