In major win for LGBTQIA+ community, Canada passes bill criminalising 'conversion therapy'
A giant pride flag is carried down Younge Street in Toronto, Ontario during the city's Pride Parade, June 25, 2017
Marking a major win for the LGBTQIA+ community, Canada on Tuesday passed a bill criminalising the so-called 'conversion therapy'.
In 2019, Canada’s ruling Liberal party had vowed to ban the practice when its election manifesto was unveiled.
On Tuesday, the bill received 263 to 63 votes in Canada’s House of Commons, effectively banning the barbaric practice.
What is conversion therapy?
Conversion therapy has been historically used to “treat” people who don’t identify as heterosexual. The methods employed vary from institution to institution but a protocol of sorts had been established to compound on the lack of awareness about sexuality.
The therapies are aimed at altering a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity. It includes an array of techniques, some benign ones like hypnosis and talk therapy. Many institutions also use electric shocks and fasting on “patients”.
The therapy has no roots in science and has been largely perceived as a tool to subvert sexuality and open dialogues around identities. According to the American Medical Association, the practice is “harmful and ineffective”.
While most countries have stopped practising the therapy, many institutions continue to employ similar methods in the hopes of “curing” gay people, a belief stemming largely from the stigmatisation of sexual orientations.
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The history of conversion therapy
Conversion therapy has been historically used in environments where LGBTQIA+ populations aren’t given basic freedoms and democratic rights. The tool has been employed as a harassment tactic against sexual minorities and is still widely practiced in many parts of the world.
Such attitudes originated from the treatment given to homosexuality. For a long time, homosexuality was classified as an illness by the American Psychiatric Association - the world’s largest psychiatric organisation, which has left a long-lasting impact on how legislations are shaped in different countries.
It was only in 1977 that the association removed homosexuality from its list of illnesses.
In its resolution, the APA had said - “We will no longer insist on a label of sickness for individuals who insist that they are well and demonstrate no generalized impairment in social effectiveness.”
This move could bring relief to thousands of Canadians who may be forced to undergo such therapies. Canada’s summer break begins on Wednesday before which the vote took place on Tuesday. The House cleared its legislative agenda with possible elections set to take place this year. Now, the bill will go to Canada’s Senate.