EU Pushes 8 More Countries to Ban Conversion Practices

The European Union is building on a wave of progress to end conversion practices, with eight member states already proving that bans work and 19 more now urged to join them.

Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Malta, Spain and Portugal have all made these harmful interventions illegal. Now the European Commission wants every remaining EU country to do the same.

"Conversion practices are built on a lie. The lie that LGBTIQ+ people need to be fixed," said Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Equality. "You cannot torture away a person's identity."

The Commission announced a new recommendation Wednesday that will help countries increase public awareness, support victims in seeking legal action, and strengthen medical and psychological care. The formal plan arrives next year.

Conversion practices include discredited interventions like psychotherapy, medication, electroshock and exorcism aimed at changing someone's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Medical experts worldwide have dismissed them as pseudo-science that causes lasting psychological and physical harm.

The announcement comes after more than one million EU citizens signed a petition demanding action. While advocates had hoped for an EU-wide ban, member states must act individually due to treaty rules requiring unanimous agreement on discrimination issues.

That's actually good news in disguise. It means countries can move faster without waiting for all 27 to agree.

The Ripple Effect

The eight countries with bans in place show different approaches work. Some impose financial penalties, others include prison sentences, but all send the same message: these practices have no place in modern society.

A 2020 United Nations report confirmed what advocates have long known. It warned that conversion practices result in long-lasting damage and urged countries worldwide to ban them, restrict their funding and advertising, and provide reparations to victims.

Almost a quarter of LGBTIQ+ citizens in the EU have experienced some form of conversion practices, according to the bloc's Fundamental Rights Agency. Trans women and men face the highest rates.

The Commission's recommendation places responsibility squarely on national governments to act. "They have shown it can be done," Lahbib said of the eight countries with bans. "We are building on that momentum, calling on the rest to follow."

With proven models already working across Europe and growing public support, the path forward is clear for the remaining countries ready to protect their citizens.