Northern Ireland's DUP says "praying away the gay" isn't conversion therapy

Northern Ireland's Democratic Union Party (DUP) doesn't consider "praying the gay away" to be a form of conversion therapy, and is planning to debate the issue on April 20. Members of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), Doug Beattie and John Stewart, have called for an end to conversion therapy. They urge Northern Ireland legislation "to acknowledge 'that this practice has been widely rejected by medical professionals', and urges the 'Minister for Communities to commit to bringing forward legislation before the end of the current Assembly mandate to ban conversion therapy in all its forms'."

On April 16, the Ireland's right-wing DUP tabled an amendment to the motion, saying:

…the section which "declares that it is fundamentally wrong to view our LGBTQ community as requiring a fix or cure" should be removed, as well as the call for a swift ban on conversion therapy.

The party has suggest that the motion read instead: "This assembly… recognises that legitimate religious activities such as preaching, prayer and pastoral support do not constitute conversion therapy, cannot be defined as such and must be protected."

The DUP also said the minister for communities should "consult widely on the way ahead" before banning conversion therapy.

via Pink News