Overview
- The government’s legislative program, read by King Charles on Wednesday, put a Draft Conversion Practices Bill on the agenda in England and Wales to outlaw attempts to change sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Ministers will publish the draft for pre‑legislative scrutiny, a step that lets experts and stakeholders test the wording before a full bill is introduced.
- Officials say the measure will be tightly drawn to protect legitimate healthcare, exploratory support, and religious belief.
- Critics, including some clinicians, warn the law could criminalise therapy for gender‑questioning children or even parental or teacher conversations, with Dr Hilary Cass cautioning it may deter clinicians from this work.
- The pledge follows years of reversals since Theresa May promised a ban in 2018, and groups such as Stonewall have urged swift publication of a trans‑inclusive draft before Parliament’s summer recess.