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Conversion practices are harmful acts which deliberately try to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. They are based on the belief that it is better to heterosexual and/or cisgender, and that other sexual orientations and gender identities are somehow flawed, wrong or “broken”.
While some conversion practices are already illegal, many are not, or operate in grey areas. Survivors of conversion practices can suffer lifelong mental health problems, trauma, and impacts on their sense of self and ability to form relationships with others.
They come in a wide range of forms, from pseudo-psychological “treatments”, to acts that take place in the home, and practices that are religious or spiritual in nature. They can be carried out by individuals, groups, families, or whole communities.
We believe that ending conversion practices is of vital importance to the health and wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ people across Scotland, and that this will be best achieved by comprehensive legislation from the Scottish Government, accompanied by non-legislative measures including education, mediation, and properly funded support services.
Below you can read more about the harmful nature of conversion practices, the arguments for legislation to end them, and the work that our community has done to campaign for this in Scotland.
Update, 6th May 2025: The Scottish Government have announced that they will not introduce their own bill to end conversion practices within this Parliament before the Scottish Parliament election next year. You can read our joint statement with other Scottish LGBTQIA+ organisations here and our press release on the Programme for Government here.
The Scottish Government have said that ‘engagement will continue with the UK government for a Bill covering England, Wales and Scotland’, and that ‘if this approach cannot be agreed, then we commit to publishing our own Bill in Year 1 of the next Parliamentary session.’
We are incredibly disappointed by this, especially as so much work has gone into the shaping of the Scottish Government’s bill by survivors of conversion practices in Scotland and beyond, who have worked tirelessly to make a Scottish bill a reality: giving their time, reliving their traumas and sharing their stories. Yet another delay does a disservice to their hard work and sacrifices.
Our work on conversion practices will continue and we will do our best to be part of this work at UK level. We will do everything we can to ensure that the Scottish Government’s red lines are upheld, that we are heard and that any Bill that is brought forward protects everyone in our community to finally end these abusive practices in their entirety.
We will continue to update this page, our news feed, and our social media (Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram) with updates related to this work
If you are experiencing conversion practices now, have done in the past, or are worried that you might be at risk, you can get help and support from LGBT Health and Wellbeing’s conversion practices support helpline.
You can call the helpline on 0800 464 7000, email helpline@lgbthealth.org.uk, or use the livechat on the website during opening hours. Support is available Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 12-9pm, and Sundays from 1-6pm.
To help understand what conversion practices are like, the different forms they take, the effects they have on people, and what could be done to prevent them, we’ve created three illustrated short stories about conversion practices in Scotland.
The stories are composites of the accounts of many different survivors, and we’ve included quotes from them throughout to share their first hand experiences of these harmful acts.
In early 2024, the Scottish Government held a public consultation on their draft legislation for a bill to End Conversion Practices. You can read our full response to consultation here.
The next step is that the Scottish Government will analyse the consultation responses and publish a report, although as of March 2025 this has still not happened. It is currently uncertain whether a bill will be forthcoming in the Scottish Parliament or in Westminster. We will continue to update this page and our social media with any further developments.
Below you can find links to all of our work related to ending conversion practices. We will continue to add more and update this section of our website, but make sure you follow Equality Network on our socials (Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky) and sign up to our newsletter at the bottom of the page to stay up to date with our campaign to end conversion practices in Scotland.
This page providers a longer explanation of what conversion practices are, the forms they take, and the impacts they have on LGBTQIA+ people.
Spotlights on countries around the world that already have legislation in place to end conversion practices and calls from international human rights bodies encouraging other to do the same.
More detail on the draft legislation to end conversion practices proposed by the Scottish Government in their January 2024 public consultation.
To help understand what conversion practices are like, the different forms they take, the effects they have on people, and what could be done to prevent them, we’ve created three illustrated short stories about conversion practices in Scotland.
Cee is a young person who is exploring their gender identity. While their friends and teachers are supportive of this their parents are not, and send them away to a “wellness retreat for troubled young girls” against their will. This is an account of what conversion practices might look like for a person undergoing them in Scotland today.
Abeera is a lesbian woman of colour who loves her family as much as she loves playing football. Just when she feels like she’s hit her stride, her parents tell her that it’s time to grow up and give up her happiness to live a life more in line for what they expect of her. This is an account of what conversion practices might look like for a person undergoing them in Scotland today.
Bernie is a devout Christian who has worked at a church for half his life, but suddenly discovers his sexuality during a trip away. When he shares this with his congregation, he is exposed to an escalating series of conversion practices within the church. This is an account of what conversion practices might look like for a person undergoing them in Scotland today.
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Equality Network is a national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) equality and human rights charity.
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