Moves to ban conversion therapy in Scotland won’t be happening anytime soon, at least not before the next Holyrood election. The Scottish Government just couldn’t get their act together to bring a bill forward in time.
The SNP ministers are now saying that if they get elected, they’ll make sure to bring in some legislation to put an end to these practices in the first year of the next Holyrood term. They’re all fired up and ready to go, especially if those folks down in Westminster don’t do anything about it.
These plans to outlaw conversion therapy were a big deal in the Bute House agreement with the Scottish Greens. The SNP was all gung-ho about it, but then former First Minister Humza Yousaf went and ended the electoral pact. So now, everything is up in the air until the next administration takes over after the 2026 election.
Scottish Greens equality spokesperson Maggie Chapman MSP is pretty ticked off about the whole situation. She’s calling the failure to bring forward a ban “shameful” and says that LGBTQIA+ folks are being put at “serious risk” by conversion therapy.
On the other hand, Holyrood’s equalities minister Kaukab Stewart is like, “We’ll keep working with Westminster on a UK-wide approach, but if nothing happens, we’ll take matters into our own hands.” She’s promising that if the UK Labour Government drops the ball, the SNP Scottish Government will whip up their own Bill in the first year of the next parliamentary session.
The Scottish Government had already committed to banning conversion therapy as part of that powersharing deal with the Scottish Greens. But then the Bute House Agreement fell through, and now they’re saying they’ll come up with their own Bill if the UK-wide approach doesn’t pan out.
It seems like the ministers are still talking to the UK Government to see if they can come up with something that works for everyone in Scotland, England, and Wales.
Ms Stewart is like, “Hey, we’re all about equality and protecting the LGBTQI+ community. We’re not messing around when it comes to ending conversion practices.”
She’s also reassuring everyone that the Scottish Government is working on other measures to support survivors and put an end to these harmful practices.
Maggie Chapman is standing firm on the issue too. She’s saying that LGBTQIA+ folks are in serious danger from these conversion practices and that the government needs to step up and do something about it.
She’s not mincing words either, calling these practices “deeply immoral” and “abusive.” She’s not happy about the delays either, saying that the promises of support and justice in the future don’t mean much to those suffering right now.
So, the Scottish Government is on track to put an end to conversion therapy, whether they have to do it themselves or work with the UK Government. It’s a tough situation, but they’re determined to make it happen.
And that’s the latest on the conversion therapy ban in Scotland. Let’s hope they can get their act together sooner rather than later.
