New Zealand Passes Law Banning Conversion Therapy

New Zealand has unanimously voted to right wrongs of the past, in legislating new laws that ban conversion therapies.

The bill, initially introduced by the government last year, passed on Tuesday, with 112 votes in favour and eight votes opposed.

"This is a great day for New Zealand's rainbow communities," Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi said.

"Conversion practices have no place in modern New Zealand."

- Kris Faafoi

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The outdated practices, often by religious groups, refers to methods of forcibly trying to 'cure' a person of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, known as conversion therapy.

Conversion practices include talk therapy, hypnosis, electric shocks and fasting, along with exorcism and documented "corrective rape" for lesbians.

Speaking to the house, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson, said the law would right some of the wrongs caused by conversion therapies.

“To all those who have been affected by conversion practices or attempts at them, we want to say, this legislation is for you," he declared.

"We cannot bring you back, we cannot undo all of the hurt, but we can make sure that for the generations to come, we provide the support and love you did not get and protect you from the harm of those who seek to try to stop you from being who you are.”

- Grant Robertson

Posting to Facebook, MP for East Coast, Kiri Allan shared her own personal experience of conversion practices as a 16-year-old.

"I went through conversion therapy (it wasn’t called that, but that’s what it was) through my church. I desperately tried to ‘pray the gay’ away – to be accepted by my family, community and church," she posted.

“My ‘illness’ & ‘weakness’ to temptation was etched as sin into my skin. It took a long time to shake that shame and trauma. Tonight our Parliament will ensure this practice is banned in our country for good. For our next generation of babies, I am so incredibly relieved. Thank you to everyone that championed this change.”

- Kiri Allan

One of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's campaign promises when she was elected for a second term last year, the legislation now means it is an offence to perform conversion practices on anyone aged under 18, or with impaired decision-making capacity, and holds a sentence of up to three years’ imprisonment.

New Zealand now joins Victoria in the land of Oz and Canada, our friends in the north, who both banned LGBT conversion therapy last year.

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