Following the passing of a Government motion in the upper house today, the Greens have renewed their call for the Government to act urgently on their commitment to legislate to ban conversion practices.
According to a 2018 Human Rights Law Centre report, up to 10 per cent of LGBTIQ Australians are still vulnerable to “harmful” conversion practices, which emerged in Australian conservative Christian communities in the 1970s.
The report stated that modern conversion practices involve counselling, prayer or group sessions, but clinical interventions such as surgery, hormone injections and behavioural and psychoanalytic therapies have also been used in the past to try to “change or supress a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender and sexual expression.
Legislative bans on conversion practices have already been implemented in Victoria, Queensland and the ACT.
Quotes attributable to Tammy Franks MLC:
“It is deeply concerning that harmful and damaging conversion practices are continuing legally in SA. Psychological research has produced overwhelming clinical evidence that practices aimed at the reorientation of LGBTIQA+ people not only do not work but are extremely damaging to their long-term health and happiness.”
“With legislative bans on conversion practices now in place in Victoria, Queensland and the ACT, it is time for the State Government to step up and protect all in our community by banning conversion practices in SA too.”
“The Premier has said to the people of South Australia that he will keep all his election promises. The Greens look forward to that promise being fulfilled imminently through Parliament with legislation that bans damaging conversion practices altogether.”