Gay-to-straight Conversion Therapy

Diana Johnson Excerpts
Wednesday 20th November 2013

(10 years, 5 months ago)

Westminster Hall
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Sandra Osborne Portrait Sandra Osborne (Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock) (Lab)
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It is a great pleasure, Mr Hood, to serve under your chairmanship. I am raising this debate as part of an ongoing discussion on gay-to-straight conversion therapy, and I refer to my early-day motion, which attracted 52 signatures; the petition presented to the House by my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Diana Johnson); and the private Member’s Bill, the Counsellors and Psychotherapists (Regulation) Bill, which was introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Swansea West (Geraint Davies).

Diana Johnson Portrait Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)
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I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate. I want to put on record the enormously helpful work of Tom Stevens and Colin Levitt, who live in Hull and were behind the petition that was presented to Parliament because they felt strongly about the matter and decided something had to be done.

Sandra Osborne Portrait Sandra Osborne
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I, too, have reason to be grateful to those people.

I want to place on the record the fact that several hon. Members indicated that they wanted to attend this debate but had other commitments.