Boris Johnson decided to withdraw from the event following reactions to his decision not to ban conversion therapy for trans people. Liz Truss, who is Minister of Equality and Minister of Foreign Affairs, is expected to sign the decision after her return from Poland. The world conference was to be the first of its kind in the United Kingdom and was scheduled to take place in late June, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first Pride events in the capital. The future of the government flagship event for equality was in jeopardy after LGBT organizations – led by the charity Stonewall – announced a boycott. After repeatedly promising to outlaw conversion treatment through the introduction of new laws, No. 10 revealed last week that it was removing the bill from Parliament’s agenda and had decided to consider using existing legislation.
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A leaked document on the “handling” of the decision gave the justification: “Given the unprecedented conditions of great pressure on the cost of living and the crisis in Ukraine, there is an urgent need to streamline our legislative program.” Following a backlash, No. 10 said it planned to introduce laws banning conversion therapy based on sexual orientation, but not gender identity – leading to allegations that it disappointed trans people. On Tuesday, the government’s LGBT + business champion resigned “with a heavy heart” due to the “deeply shocking” decision. Iain Anderson said confidence in the government’s commitment to LGBT + rights has been damaged by a series of upheavals from No. 10. In a letter to Johnson shared on Twitter, he wrote: “As a young gay man, I lived in fear and oppression under the backdrop of Section 28. “I could never have dreamed that a government – any government – would appoint an LGBT + champion later in my life. “However, the recent leak of a plan to repeal the government’s flagship legislation that protects LGBT + people from conversion therapy has been catastrophic. Conversion therapy is disgusting. “It was only hours later that I saw this plan withdrawn, but the information that trans people would be excluded from the law and therefore not have the same immediate protections from this practice was deeply detrimental to my work.” Mr Anderson added that it was “deeply shocking” that the government backtracked on transgender protection the same week that the first trans MP felt able to share his journey. Jamie Wallis, a Conservative Bridgend MP, appeared as a trans in a highly personal statement last week. He said it was “wrong to exclude protections for an entire group of people from a practice described as ‘hateful’”. A government spokeswoman said: “We thank Iain for his contribution as a LGBT Business Champion. “The government has a proud history of LGBT rights and we remain committed to building on this project with sensitivity and care.”
