Exorcism, Assault and Rape: Conversion Therapy in the UK

New research has revealed the disturbing extent of conversion therapy practices in the UK, with nearly a third (31 per cent) of LGBTQ+ people reporting that they have been subjected to these harmful and sometimes violent attempts to change their sexuality or gender identity.

The findings come from a nationally representative survey of 2,000 LGBTQ+ adults living in England, Scotland, and Wales, commissioned by the LGBTQ+ advocacy organisation Stonewall.

The Reality of Conversion Therapy in the UK

Conversion therapy is based on the false and dangerous belief that being LGBTQ+ is an illness or a deviation that must be “cured.” Methods used range from prayer and exorcism to psychotherapy, hypnosis, and even electric shocks.

Stonewall’s survey found that 12% of LGBTQ+ people had been subjected to pseudo-scientific counselling sessions, but many had also experienced far more extreme measures.

• 17% reported being physically assaulted to alter their sexual or gender identity.
• 12% were subjected to ‘corrective rape’ or sexual assault.

Religion and Family Rejection Play Key Roles

Religious beliefs were a driving force behind many of these experiences:

• 10% of LGBTQ+ respondents said they had been subjected to an exorcism.
• 17% had been subjected to prayer as a form of ‘healing’.

Family rejection was also a common tactic used to pressure individuals into undergoing conversion therapy:

• 19% experienced exclusion from family, social, or community life.
• 15% were threatened with homelessness if they did not change their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Stonewall Calls for Urgent Ban

Simon Blake, CEO of Stonewall, condemned the findings, saying: “Behind this data are people who have been told that their sexual orientation and/or gender identity are wrong, that they need to be ‘cured’ or ‘fixed.’”

He warned that as long as conversion therapy remains legal, LGBTQ+ people will continue to suffer.

“Each day that conversion practices remain legal, they place LGBTQ+ people at risk of harm. These alarming figures shed light on just how common these practices remain, despite often being hidden from public view or scrutiny.”

Blake urged the UK government to follow through on its long-standing commitment to banning conversion therapy.

“The long-overdue UK draft bill must protect all LGBTQ+ people through a fully inclusive ban that gives perpetrators no room to deny the severity of their actions and provides a path to justice for victims.”

Global Trend to Ban Conversion Therapy

Mental health and human rights organisations, including the World Psychiatric Association, have discredited conversion therapy as ineffective and deeply harmful, linking it to depression, anxiety, substance abuse, homelessness, and even suicide.

Conversion therapy is banned, primarily for minors, in several countries, including Albania, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Greece, France, Germany, Iceland, Malta, New Zealand, and parts of Spain and the US.

Despite its devastating impact, there is no law specifically restricting conversion therapy in South Africa.