Queer community in the Netherlands petitions to ban Conversion Therapy
LGTQIA+ people are pressuring the parliament to enact the required legislation.
Representatives of the LGBTQ community in the Netherlands are leading a petition to pressure the country's parliament to enact legislation banning so-called "Conversion Therapy".
Nearly 8,000 signatures have been collected and the petition will be presented to parliament on 28 January.
“Any so-called ‘cure’ is a myth..." says community leader Astrid Oosenbrug about the petition. "You are good the way you are, never let anyone tell you otherwise. Those so-called conversion acts do not change who you are, but people are destroyed by them.”
The timing of the petition coincides with a scheduled debate which will see the country's House of Representatives discuss a proposed ban of so-called Conversion Therapy.
Bans are already in place in countries such as Germany, France, Greece, Malta, Canada, and New Zealand. The Council of Europe, the United Nations and the European Parliament also oppose conversion therapy and have called on member countries to ban them.
In the Netherlands, the Association for Psychiatry supports a proposed ban, describing attempts to "convert" LGBTQ people as being "harmful to mental health".
“Differences between people in terms of sexual and gender identity are an expression of healthy natural variation...” said Niels Mulder, chairman of the Association for Psychiatry.
According to the government of the Netherlands, there are at least fifteen providers of so-called conversion therapy operating in the country - offering holiday camps, prayer healing and exorcisms. The listed organisations are primarily affiliated to religious groups.
Research suggests that 3-5% of LGBTQ people have been subjected to some form of so-called Conversion Therapy. Trans people are particularly vulnerable.
“Your entire identity is broken down..." says Jacques Zonne, who was subjected to Conversion Therapy. "That trauma never goes away.”
Zonne is one of the initiators of the petition to ban Conversion Therapy - a practice that he was subjected to for two years in an attempt to 'cure' his homosexuality.
Janneke, a trans woman, underwent long-term 'conversion therapy' within her religious community.
“It hindered my relationships and self-image for years..." explains Janneke. "It is almost impossible to tell you how much effect it had on me."
Originally published by Winq - reprinted with permission
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