The government has introduced a draft bill intended to criminalize abusive acts designed to alter an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity.

政府已推出一份法案草案，旨在將那些企圖改變個人性傾向或性別認同的虐待行為定為刑事罪行。

The proposed Conversion Practices Bill seeks to establish a legal framework to address conduct characterized as abusive acts that cause serious harm to a victim's identity. The administration asserts that existing statutes regarding coercive control and domestic abuse are insufficient to address the specific nature of these practices. Under the proposed legislation, two criminal offenses would be established: one pertaining to the execution of practices causing serious harm, alarm, or distress, and another addressing the facilitation of such practices outside the jurisdiction of England and Wales. Convictions may result in unlimited fines and custodial sentences of up to five years. Furthermore, the bill introduces Conversion Practice Protection Orders, civil mechanisms designed to provide preemptive protection for individuals identified as being at risk.

擬議的《轉化實踐法案》旨在建立一個法律框架，以處理被定義為對受害者認同造成嚴重傷害的虐待行為。政府主張，現有關於強制控制與家庭暴力的法令不足以應對此類實踐的特殊性質。根據擬議的立法，將設立兩項刑事罪行：一項涉及執行導致嚴重傷害、驚恐或痛苦的實踐；另一項則針對在英格蘭與威爾斯司法管轄區以外促成此類實踐的行為。定罪後可能面臨無限額罰金以及最高五年的監禁。此外，法案引入了「轉化實踐保護令」，這是一種旨在為被認定有風險的人士提供預防性保護的民事機制。

Historical antecedents for this legislation date back to 2018, though the process has been characterized by successive administrative reversals and the dissolution of the government's LGBT+ Advisory Panel. Previous disputes centered on whether the legislation might inadvertently criminalize professional or parental exploratory discourse regarding gender distress. To mitigate this, the current draft includes exemptions for legitimate healthcare and therapy. This approach has been acknowledged by Dr. Hilary Cass and the Equality and Human Rights Commission as necessary to ensure that medical practitioners and religious entities are not disproportionately restricted in their professional or spiritual capacities.

此項立法的歷史背景可追溯至2018年，儘管過程中經歷了多次行政反轉，且政府的LGBT+諮詢小組已被解散。先前的爭議集中於該立法是否會不慎將專業人士或家長針對性別困擾的探索性對話刑事化。為了緩解此問題，目前的草案包含了對合法醫療保健與治療的豁免。Hilary Cass 博士與平等與人權委員會均認可此做法，認為這對於確保醫療從業人員與宗教團體在專業或精神職能上不受到過度限制是必要的。

Stakeholder positioning remains polarized. Advocacy organizations, such as Stonewall and Galop, characterize the bill as a necessary measure for equality, citing data from Galop that identified 371 cases of conversion practices between 2022 and 2025, including instances of physical violence and coercive control. Conversely, the Christian Legal Centre contends that the legislation would restrict freedom of speech and prayer, suggesting that existing laws are sufficient to address genuine abuse. The organization has indicated an intention to initiate legal challenges against the ban.

利益相關者的立場依然兩極分化。倡議組織（如 Stonewall 和 Galop）將該法案視為實現平等的必要措施，並引用 Galop 的數據，指出在2022年至2025年期間發現了371起轉化實踐案例，其中包括肢體暴力與強制控制。相反，基督教法律中心認為該立法將限制言論與禱告自由，並認為現有法律足以處理真正的虐待。該組織已表示有意對此禁令提起法律挑戰。

The draft bill will now undergo a three-month period of pre-legislative scrutiny before proceeding through the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

法案草案現在將進入為期三個月的立法前審查階段，隨後將提交至下議院與上議院。