Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Public Petition PE1817: End Conversion Therapy
Letter from the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) LGBT+ Workers’ Committee, 20 September 2021
Dear Colleagues
I am writing on behalf of the Scottish Trades Union Congress LGBT+ Workers’ Committee regarding Petition PE1817 End Conversion Therapy.
We have been tasked by our annual Conference, following a motion from GMB Scotland as supported by Glasgow Trades Union Council, to fully commit to the trade union movement's support for a full and comprehensive ban on Conversion Therapy, and write to you today to underline this.
At the Committee meeting on 8th September 2021 we welcomed a number of areas within the Programme for Government and priorities agreed between the Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party; and noted with enthusiasm the cross-party consensus shown ahead of the election by candidates of all parties in Parliament to end Conversion Therapy as soon as possible.
This impacts members in our movement, either directly or affecting their loved ones.
LGBT+ and intersex people are overwhelmingly working class people, who face innumerable struggles still for equity in workplaces, housing, and communities. The Committee notes that over 10% of LGBT+ people have reported attempts to forcibly change their sexuality, and around 14% of trans and non-binary respondents to a Stonewall investigation in 2020 reported facing similar pressure to undergo forced conversion therapy to match their assigned at birth gender.
We urge the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee to ensure that in any legislation brought to Parliament, full and comprehensive coverage with no exemptions (for example: for religious groups) must be integral to progress. Despite a number of single-issue "gender critical" groups forming rapidly to feign a broad base supporting an attempt to suggest that a ban should only cover sexuality and not gender, we reject any attempts to dilute coverage - a ban to defend all trans and non-binary people in Scotland must be implemented.
We know also that though some have claimed to "consent" to this, we reject any notion that such torture can ever be truly consented to. No LGBT+ person surrounded by love, care, and respect, would ever dream of denying who they are or feel comfortable in any attempt to achieve this - the only "consent" is one sought by psychological pressure by people and communities who wish to cause harm to victims of their homophobia and transphobia.
As the voice of Scotland's LGBT+ trade unionists, we urge you to put a full legislative ban on this abhorrent practice as soon as possible, to ensure Scotland regains its position from just a few years ago as a world-leading nation in LGBT+ rights and ensure that those who preach hatred know they can never find support for that hatred nor inflict it upon their targets in our nation again.
Yours in Solidarity
STUC LGBT+ Workers’ Committee