UK coerces sexually odd people to conversion therapy: Report
Britain’s main health provider the NHS has been accused of forcing people with abnormal sexual orientation to undergo conversion therapy.
Stonewall, a British charity organization, said on Thursday that those defined as LGBT+, including transgender people with physical problems in their sexual orientation, face high levels of hostile and unfair behavior when they go to NHS hospitals for treatment.
The charity said one in five trans patients had been pressured by NHS staff to undergo conversion therapy while getting healthcare.
“People are at a vulnerable moment in their lives when they are physically ill or having mental health issues and they should expect support, not somebody who is undermining their identity,” said Paul Twocock, Stonewall’s director of policy, adding, “This is a wake-up call that no ... healthcare provider can ignore.”
The unfair and discriminatory behavior of the medical staff also affected disabled people, ethnic minorities and young patients under 25s who had problems with their sexual behavior.
A 19-year-old girl, identified as Elijah in Stonewall’s report, said medical staff had forced her to accept conversion therapy after she committed suicide.
“After a suicide attempt ... the nurse said that my mental health problems were due to allowing Satan in my soul,” said Elijah, adding, “If I just accepted my true gender then God could forgive me.”
The report said many patients had decided to avoid medical care as a result of unequal treatment from healthcare staff due to their identity. That included inappropriate curiosity, discriminatory remarks, and being introduced as LGBT+ to other staff or patients. The study, which covered 5,000 people, said that more than 10 percent of LGBT+ people in Britain have experienced such behavior in the British hospitals and health care centers.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said it was investigating concerns around health and wellbeing of the vulnerable people at the National Health Service.
“Anyone should be able to access appropriate support and treatment from the NHS as and when they need it, regardless of their sexual orientation, race or gender,” said the official.
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