The European continent has marked a milestone in the defense of the rights of the LGTBIQ+ community and conversion therapies. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has adopted a historic resolution calling on its member states to immediately and completely ban conversion practices. This movement not only seeks to protect survivors, but also combat the wave of misinformation surrounding this issue.
This resolution, while not legally binding, sets a crucial international human rights standard and provides a detailed roadmap for national authorities to implement. In essence, the responsibility for transforming these recommendations into actual laws and policies now falls squarely on governments.
What Exactly Does the Resolution Involve? A Call to Clear Action
The text approved by PACE does not mince words. Calls on member states for concrete action to eradicate any practice that attempts to modify, repress or suppress a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
Among the most notable measures requested, we find:
- Legislative Prohibitions: Introduce laws that explicitly prohibit all forms of conversion practices.
- Survivor Support: Ensure that survivor support services have adequate training and resources.
- Monitoring and Data: Establish mechanisms to monitor these practices and collect data on their prevalence.
- Public Awareness: Promote campaigns to raise awareness among citizens about LGTBIQ+ people and the serious damage caused by these pseudotherapies.
The resolution is a resounding message: these practices are incompatible with the democratic values and fundamental rights that Europe claims to defend.
Overcoming Organized Resistance: An Inclusive Victory
This progress was achieved despite an intense pressure campaign against it. The debate and vote were framed by organized opposition, with anti-trans groups directing their efforts to remove any reference to gender identity and trans people from the text. In fact, thousands of automated emails were sent to PACE members, saturating the environment with misinformation.
The Assembly’s rapporteur, British Labor MP Kate Osbourne, was a direct target of these exclusion attempts. However, a coordinated and transversal effort within the Assembly managed to maintain the inclusive language of the text, ensuring that the focus remained on protecting the entire LGTBIQ+ community.
Finally, the text was adopted with a solid majority of more than two-thirds: 71 votes in favor, 26 against and 2 abstentions. This vote underlines a growing recognition in European institutions of the need to confront not only the direct harm of these practices, but also the climate of hostility and misinformation that fuels them.
The Power of Politics and the Urgency of Change
The Assembly has urged states to act quickly. It reminds us that ending conversion therapies requires more than a simple legal ban. It needs strong political will, adequately funded survivor services, and, above all, continued public education to prevent further suffering.
Le reader, if responsibility passes to governments, what role do you think civil society should play in pushing for these recommendations to become effective laws in your country? And how can we, individually, contribute to dismantling the misinformation that still puts LGTBIQ+ people at risk? The fight for dignity and respect does not stop in Strasbourg; It continues in every capital, in every parliament and in every conversation we have
