‘You can’t pray away the gay’: Libs give ‘iron-clad guarantee’ not to amend laws banning gay conversion therapy – The Age

“I sat with him after those sessions he had with the priest. He needed to be with someone after going through it because they were so disturbing and he would often cry … and say ‘James, you can’t pray away the gay’.

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“He was extremely broken by the process because it called into question the most fundamental premise of this issue, and that is conversion therapy is based on the premise you can choose to be gay. It is not a choice and this is something the rainbow community are trying to make the broader community understand.”

Under the Change and Suppression (Conversion) Practices legislation, which passed Parliament in February, anyone found trying to suppress or change another person’s sexuality or gender identity faces up to 10 years’ jail or fines of almost $10,000 if it can be proved beyond reasonable doubt that their actions caused serious injury.

Advocates branded the legislation as “world leading”, while faith groups described it as the biggest threat to religious freedom in years because it prohibits “prayer-based practices”.

During the parliamentary debate, the opposition said it supported outlawing “barbaric, antiquated conversion practices” but attempted to delay the bill on the grounds that urgent stakeholder consultation was required.

Equality Australia chief executive Anna Brown welcomed the Opposition’s commitment.

“Regardless of who is in government, Victorians deserve to know that there is no room for discrimination in their state, and that everyone, no matter who they are or whom they love, can live, work and study with dignity and respect,” Ms Brown said.

“We look forward to the opposition voting to end discrimination against our community by supporting changes to outdated laws that currently allow religious institutions to fire, expel, or deny services to LGBTQ+ people.”

A Victorian government spokesman said: “If the Liberals have had a sudden realisation that gay rights are now human rights, we look forward to them supporting our amendments to the Equal Opportunity Act – reversing the harmful discrimination they brought in, in 2011.”

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