ITV News political editor Paul Brand explains the importance of Iain Anderson’s resignation A key LGBT + government adviser has resigned over a plan to bar trans people from being banned from conversion therapy, accusing ministers of waging a “wake-up war” in the community, according to ITV News. Iain Anderson said he resigned from his role as LGBT business champion because the government was “trying to bridge the gap” between transgender and lesbian, gay and bisexual people. “Britain needs a strategy for trans people and I can not see it at the moment,” he said. “We have a tabloid discussion about people’s lives. It’s not a respectful discussion, it has turned into an awakening war. It has turned into a wedge issue … I was an LGBT Business champion not LGB or T, so I am moving away ». “Government is trying to wedge the LGBT community”: Iain Anderson on why he is resigning The resignation comes after 100 top charities and organizations withdrew from an LGBT + government conference following a report by ITV News that revealed that the ministers were planning to deny their promise to ban conversion therapy altogether. UK author Paul Bradt has leaked a document showing that Boris Johnson had decided not to outlaw the practice, despite repeated promises. The government soon took a partial turn, saying it would move forward with the plan, but ruled out trans conversion treatment from the ban because it is a “legally complex sector … especially in the case of under-18s”. Mr Anderson told ITV News that neither Equality Minister Liz Trace (who is also Secretary of State) was aware of the plans to lift the ban on conversion therapy, nor any of the government’s LGBT + advisers – until ITV News published his report last Thursday. The plan to lift the ban was unveiled on Transgender Visibility Day, during which Mr Anderson publicly pledged that the government had a comprehensive approach to a flagship ban on conversion therapy to include all LGBT + people – “until two times on Thursday “. “I feel undermined,” Anderson said. completely shocked “. The first and only trans member of parliament said he was “bitterly disappointed” by the partial change of government. Tory MP Jamie Wallis, who just last week appeared as a trans, said the government had broken a promise. “I am bitterly disappointed with the government’s decision not to include gender identity in the ban on conversion therapy.” He added: “If the ban on conversion therapy is passed by parliament without any protection for the transgender community, it can not be described as anything more than a broken promise.” Mr Anderson said the government’s LGBT + conference – Safe To Be Me 2022 – could not take place in June this year as planned after the departure of more than a hundred organizations. “Given what has happened, the conference can not take place, trust has been eroded.” He said he “took on this job on the grounds that there would be a policy for everyone in the LGBT community, but obviously that is not going to happen.” “This is a matter of principle. I tried to put pressure on the government, but they do not want to move. When you disagree with politics, you walk away and I do,” he said. In a statement issued Monday, the government sought to clarify why it had decided to exclude trans people from the ban. “The government has a proud track record of LGBT rights and the prime minister is committed to proposing legislation to ban conversion therapy,” the government said in a statement. “Recognizing the complexity of the issues and the need for further careful thought, we will carry out separate work to further address the issue of trans conversion therapy. “This is a legally complex area and we have a responsibility to ensure that side effects are not covered by the law, especially in the case of people under the age of 18.”
