BUS 449 Post 17

Norman Lamb

Dear Reader,

Great Britain once again brings promising news for the LGBT community. Health Minister of Britain Norman Lamb, after being addressed by 15 MPs from different political parties, demanded the assurance from the National Health Service (NHS) England that General Practitioners stop provide any referrals for gay conversion therapy. He says that such treatment has no place in the modern society, therefore, should be eliminated. “It is based on the completely false premise that there is something wrong with you if you happen to be gay,” he said. “I certainly want to do what I can, as a Liberal Democrat, to eradicate this.”

Here are some statistical facts from the 2009 survey, where mental health professionals found that more than 200 out of 1300 doctors had tried to help at least one client to reduce the attraction they felt for somebody of the same sex. A third (35%) were said to have been referred for therapy by a GP and 40% of those were reportedly treated within the NHS.

The Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Gilbert commented on the issue: “In the 21st century, no lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual should be accessing this kind of voodoo psychology. Instead we should be providing services which help give them confidence and support them with their sexuality.”

The Labor MP Sandra Osborne said: “Conversion therapy is a very real and present danger in Britain. More than just a problem amongst religious fundamentalists, it's an issue for the NHS and professional sector, and this isn't a simplistic debate about freedom to choose: if LGBT patients are coaxed into undertaking therapy by peer pressure or referred on to conversion therapists after approaching professionals, then this is hardly a 'free choice' at all.”

Indeed, Britain has been setting a good example for gender equality for a very long time. I hope more countries will follow such example and eliminate their biases. Here is the link to the article, is you are interested about the topic.