This week the government said it would ban so-called conversion therapy for gay or bisexual people in England and Wales, but not for transgender people. The policy followed two U-turns in the space of an evening.
It's a sensitive and controversial issue which was the subject of a special investigation on this podcast last August, by the journalist Emily Sargent. So today we're revisiting the first part of Thinking Straight.
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The full Thinking Straight series:
- Part 1: Conversion
- Part 2: Undercover
- Part 3: Surviving
- Part 4: Undercover again
- Part 5: Faith and queerness
- Part 6: Conversion and transitioning
- Part 7: The ban
Getting help
If you, or someone you know, has been affected by the issues raised in this episode, the following organisations can help:
Switchboard provides an information, support and referral service for anyone who needs to consider issues around their sexuality.
Phone: 0300 330 0630 (10am-10pm).
Samaritans is available for anyone struggling to cope and provide a safe place to talk 24 hours a day.
Phone: 116 123
Guests:
- Jayne Ozanne, director and founder, Ozanne Foundation; chair, Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition.
- Dr Qazi Rahman, senior lecturer, King's College London.
- Michael King, Emeritus Professor, University College London.
Host: Emily Sargent, journalist.
Clips: Times Radio, ITV News, Instagram: @xoutloudeuropeofficial, X-OUT-LOUD Europe, Core Issues Trust, BFI, BBC.
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