Is New Zealand Ever Going to Ban Gay Conversion Therapy?

As the United Kingdom announces it’s banning gay conversion therapy, calls are mounting for New Zealand to follow suit.

A TVNZ investigation this month found that a number of churches and counsellors in New Zealand were still offering versions of gay conversion therapy, in which the therapist attempts to ‘cure’ people of their homosexuality.

Internationally, research on Gay Conversion Therapy has found “efforts to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity are associated with poor mental health, including suicidality”. The practice is already banned in a number of countries and several US States.

Over in the UK, Prime Minister Theresa May called the practice “abhorrent” and released an action plan which included the promise to “consider all legislative and non-legislative options to prohibit promoting, offering or conducting conversion therapy”.

This week, the British government released results of its national LGBT research, which surveyed more than 100,000 participants. The survey found 7 percent had either experienced or been offered gay conversion therapy—2 percent of respondents had undergone the therapy in an attempt to ‘cure’ them of being LGBT, and a further 5 percent had been offered it.

Here in New Zealand, Rainbow Youth executive director Frances Arns told RNZ gay conversion therapy is more common than people might think. Arns said the government should follow the lead of the UK and outlaw it.

"It's overdue and it's time for us to put a stop to a really outdated and harmful practice," she said.

The Association of Counsellors and the Association of Social Workers told RNZ they were also backing those calls. A petition to ban the practice set up in Rodney has so far gained 2000 signatures, and Labour list MP Marja Lubeck has agreed to present the petition to parliament.