Bridget Phillipson has insisted the government is pressing ahead with a ban on conversion therapy – but the reason it’s taking so long is because they want to make it “trans inclusive“. Speaking at a Labour Conference fringe event with the Sunday Times‘ Caroline Wheeler, Phillipson said:
“We will bring forward, as we committed in the manifesto, to a draft conversion practices bill that will be trans inclusive. But we are taking our time to make sure we get that right, so we do allow within that legislation for people to have the opportunity to explore their identity through healthcare for example, and making sure that legislation is properly drafted. It’ll be a draft bill for further consultation but we will absolutely deliver it.”
The Tories also struggled with the gender identity element when they tried to introduce a similar ban. The “unintended consequences” – as the Tories put it – of a total ban on gender identity care can put teachers and GPs in an awkward position when a 7-year-old says they’re born in the wrong body. Does Bridget think she’s come up with a way to square that circle? The fact it’s taken so long to introduce the bill suggests not…