NSW Labor vows to outlaw so-called gay conversion therapy in state if elected in March
NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns has vowed to ban the "dangerous and damaging" practice of so-called "gay conversion therapy" within the state if he is elected March.
Though similar programs - which have been scientifically proven to be ineffective - have already been banned in Victoria, the ACT and Queensland, with proposed legislation also underway in Western Australia, the practice is still legal in NSW.
Experts have long called for the therapy to be outlawed due to its lack of effectiveness and backing from the scientific community, but to date, no prohibitions have taken place in the state.
NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns has vowed to ban the practice of so-called "gay conversion therapy". AAP
Many LGBTQ+ Australians who have undertaken the therapy, either as a result of peer or religious pressure, have told of their harrowing experiences, which in the majority of cases can leave people with severe and long-term psychological trauma.
Cases of suicide after an individual has tried the "therapy" are also not uncommon.
A 2018 report into the practice by La Trobe University found that the program "remains a real problem in Australian", especially among religious communities.
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The groundbreaking report revealed the "immense trauma and grief" participants felt at the prospect of having to "choose between their faith or their gender and sexuality".
Announcing the ban, Minns said there was no room for gay conversion therapy in 2023.
"Conversion therapy is a dangerous and damaging practice and there's no room for it in NSW," he said.
"We should not have a situation where children are being told something is wrong with them and that they need to be fixed."
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NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet was asked at the weekend if he would support the ban, but declined to comment on the matter. Nine / Brook Mitchell
Penny Sharpe, leader of the NSW Labor Leader in the Legislative Council, backed Minns' sentiment.
"LGBTIQ+ people should be respected for who they are without being subjected to harmful and damaging conversion and suppression therapies that have no basis in science," she said.
"A Minns Labor Government will work with relevant government agencies and other stakeholders to ban these practices in New South Wales."
In 2019, incumbent Health Minister Brad Hazzard indicated he would propose a ban on the therapy.
To date, no such legislation has been put forward.
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NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet was asked at the weekend if he would support the ban, but declined to comment on the matter.
The national conversation comes as Sydney gears up to host 2023's international WorldPride event. Getty
Legal director of LGBTQ group Equality Australia Ghassan Kassisieh said NSW was "lagging behind" other states and territories.
"Practices seeking to change or suppress a person's sexuality or gender identity cause real and lasting harm and are not supported by any medical or psychological professional association," Kassisieh said.
The national conversation comes as Sydney gears up to host 2023's international WorldPride event celebrating LGBTQ+ acceptance and visibility.
The mega-event is set to see some 500,000 people descent on the city, injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy.
It's tipped to become the biggest event in Sydney since the 2000 Olympic Games.
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