For years they were denounced by survivors, LGTBIQ+ organizations and international organizations as practices that violate human dignity. This Thursday, the Congress of Deputies took a decisive step to eradicate them: it approved the reform of the Penal Code that will convert the so-called “conversion therapies” into a crime punishable by sentences of between six months and two years in prison.
The initiative, promoted by the PSOE, obtained 178 votes in favor, 32 against – corresponding to Vox – and 137 abstentions from the Popular Party. The text will now continue its parliamentary processing in the Senate.
Until now, these practices were already administratively prohibited by Spanish legislation since 2023. However, their prosecution depended on the autonomous communities and the sanctions were exclusively administrative. With the reform, Spain takes a qualitative leap: anyone who promotes or practices procedures aimed at modifying, repressing or denying a person’s sexual orientation, sexual identity or gender expression may face criminal liability, even when there is alleged consent from the victim.
The decision responds to a historical claim of the LGTBIQ+ movement, which maintains that these practices are based on a deeply discriminatory premise: considering that sexual or gender diversity needs to be corrected.
These are not just medical interventions. The so-called conversion therapies can take psychological, spiritual or religious forms, and have been described by United Nations experts as practices incompatible with human rights due to the serious emotional and psychological damage they can cause.
The parliamentary debate once again highlighted the political differences on LGTBIQ+ rights. While the majority of the groups defended that the reform represents a necessary protection against a form of violence, Vox voted against and the Popular Party opted to abstain, although some of its deputies publicly expressed their rejection of these practices.
Beyond the parliamentary result, the approval sends a legal and symbolic message: sexual orientation and gender identity are not diseases, they do not require treatment and cannot become the object of practices aimed at modifying them.
With this reform, Spain joins the group of countries that have chosen to criminally prosecute practices that international organizations consider a violation of freedom, dignity and the right of every person to live their identity without coercion.
