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Canada and France ban "straightening treatment", violators could be sentenced to five years in prison

Feb 23, 2022

In order to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of the gender/gender minority, some people use various forms of "conversion therapy" such as spiritual counseling, drugs, religious rituals, etc., to put pressure on the gender/gender minority and try to "convert" Transform" them. Although extreme methods such as electric shocks and vomiting are less and less used in "straightening treatment", many people who have received "straightening treatment" claim that the treatment has caused them to become depressed, self-isolated, and even self-harm. In December last year, Canada and France respectively enacted legislation to prohibit any form of "straightening treatment" to protect the rights and safety of sexual/gender minorities.

Written by: Nicole

Text Editor: Winnie

Website Editor: EQ

In order to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of the gender/gender minority, some people use various forms of "conversion therapy" such as spiritual counseling, drugs, religious rituals, etc., to put pressure on the gender/gender minority and try to "convert" Transform" them. Although extreme methods such as electric shocks and vomiting are less and less used in "straightening treatment", many people who have received "straightening treatment" claim that the treatment has caused them to become depressed, self-isolated, and even self-harm. Many psychologists and psychiatrists have pointed out that "straightening therapy" is harmful and ineffective. UN human rights experts have also criticized "straightening treatment" for causing great suffering to the gender/gender minority, and called on countries to abolish it completely. In December last year, Canada and France respectively enacted legislation to prohibit any form of "straightening treatment" to protect the rights and safety of sexual/gender minorities.

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Canadian legislation bans direct provision of treatment and publicity against the law

Canada's parliament passed Bill C-4 on December 1 last year, banning all "straightening treatments" intended to change sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill came into effect on January 7 this year. Under the new law, not only those who provide "straightening treatment" and procure others to receive "treatment" will break the law, and can be sentenced to up to five years in prison, and even propagandists can be sentenced to two years in prison. Even if the sex/gender minority voluntarily accepts "straightening treatment", the practitioner cannot be exempted from criminal responsibility. The bill mentions that "straightening treatments" are harmful to society because these so-called "treatments" are based on stereotypes about sexual orientation and gender identity, and promote the myth of heterosexuality and cisgender superiority over gender/gender minorities.

After the bill was passed, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared the joy on his personal social media platform Twitter: "Canada's LGBTQ people, we will always stand up for you and your rights. And fight." Canadian Justice Minister David Lametti also expressed pride in Canada's abolition of "shameful, unscientific and destructive straightening treatment", believing that "the new legislation is a major milestone in the process of gender/gender minority equality" and will " The criminalization of "straightening treatment" is only one step in protecting the sexual/sex minority. In the future, the government will continue to work with different stakeholders to promote the protection of the sexual/sex minority.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on his personal Twitter that the bill to ban "straightening treatment" was successfully passed.

The Community-Based Research Centre, a Canadian sex/sex minority health research organization, published a report in June last year, stating that "straightening therapy" is quite common in Canada , and one in 10 sex/sex minorities has experienced "straightening therapy". ”, and more than 70% of them started treatment before the age of 20.

No Conversion Canada, a Canadian organization that focuses on "straightening treatment" issues, paid tribute to all "straightening treatment" victims on Twitter on the day the bill was passed.

France bans straight treatment fines up to HK$260,000

A week after Canada passed the bill, the French parliament passed legislation on December 7 to ban "straightening treatment" by a large margin. The ban is expected to take effect in February this year. Anyone who provides any form of "straightening treatment" for a sexual/gender minority can face up to two years in prison and a fine of 30,000 euros (about 260,000 Hong Kong dollars). be punished more severely.

French Minister of Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunity Élisabeth Moreno said on Twitter that he was delighted that the bill was passed: "Being yourself is not a sin, there is no cure".

The bill to ban "straightening therapy" was proposed by lawmakers of France's largest party "La République En Marche!" (La République En Marche!) and supported by the government, arguing that the bill can punish people who are so-called "cure" for sexual or gender minorities , phasing out these savagely outdated pseudo-therapies. Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunity Minister Elisabeth Moreno once spoke in Congress, saying that the so-called "straightforward treatment" cruelly harms human dignity, and that gender/sex minorities are not sick and do not need to be treated.

Hong Kong hospital used electric shock to treat gays, but there is still a straight treatment

At present, there are some countries and regions in the world that prohibit "straightening treatment", including 20 states in the United States, Germany, Brazil, Taiwan, etc. As early as 1973, the American Psychiatric Association outlawed homosexuality as a mental disorder, citing changes in sexual orientation as unethical and unscientific. In 2020, the United Nations also published an expert report on the impact of "straightening treatment" on human rights . The report pointed out that "straightening treatment" has no scientific basis, and even threatens the lives of sexual and gender minorities, and calls on governments of all countries to prohibit it by legislation.

In Hong Kong, there is currently no legislation governing "straightening treatment". Although "straightening treatment" is not common, there have been some examples in the past, such as the Queen Mary Hospital which attempted to "treat" homosexuals with electric shocks between 1985 and 1995 . Although the hospital admitted that the treatment was unsuccessful, at least 20 men have been "treated". Stand News also reported in 2016 that the Christian group "New Creation Association" suspected of providing "straightening therapy" for LGBTQ people through group-oriented activities. The pastor will characterize homosexuality as a "sin" in the process, and ask the students to share their own "sins" and negative experiences of gay life. In this regard, the "New Creation Association" claims that it only provides counseling services and denies participating in "straightening therapy".

The Boys' & Girls' Clubs Association and the Chinese University of Hong Kong conducted a study from 2016 to 2020 , interviewing more than 500 LGBTQ youths and about 150 parents of LGBTQ youths. The results show that 20.6% of parents have considered letting their children receive "straightening treatment", and 6.4% of parents have taken practical actions to allow their children to receive treatment. It can be seen that the problem of "straightening treatment" may be more serious than we thought. . As more countries legislate to ban "straightening treatment", it is hoped that Hong Kong will follow suit to further protect the personal safety and dignity of the gender/gender minority.