Fifth of LGBTQ+ people in UK subjected to conversion practices

More than 400,000 people who are gay, transgender or non-binary have been subjected to someone trying to change, cure or suppress their sexual orientation or gender identity, according to new research that suggests a proposed ban on conversion practices will have a wider impact than previously thought.

Polling for Galop, an LGBTQ+ anti-abuse charity, found that one in five LGBTQ+ people and more than a third of trans people in the UK have been subjected to attempted conversion, which campaigners describe as abuse.

The proportion is higher than previous estimates and comes amid Conservative backbench unrest at the governments announcement last week that it will ban conversion practices.

While campaigners for gay and transgender rights argue that the polling shows more than ever the need to prohibit conversion practices, the numbers may fuel concern that to do so could have a wide social impact, including on families negotiating someones sexual or gender identity.