Parliamentary majority in sight for ban on gay conversion therapy

A bill to criminalize gay conversion therapies may pass the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, after all. A majority seemed unlikely after a debate earlier this year, but by more clearly defining what exactly would be punishable, the initiators have allayed significant concerns among several opponents.

The bill, proposed by several parties including the VVD and D66, will get support from at least BBB. The party had significant concerns about the scope of the ban, fearing that people who voluntarily approach a conversion therapy because they’re struggling with their sexual orientation or gender identity, for example, would also risk prosecution.

The initiators have allayed this concern with an amendment to the bill. They have clarified that it will only be punishable to “systematically” or “intrusively” try to suppress or change someone’s sexual orientation. Conversion therapy within the church will, in most cases, not meet that definition.

CDA parliamentarian Derk Boswijk has not yet decided whether his party will support the bill. But he, too, approved of the amendment. According to the Christian Democrat, the initiators made it clearer that not every discussion of homosexuality amounts to conversion therapy.

The NSC could also still support the proposal. MP Jesse Six Dijkstra said he appreciated the “constructive gesture” of the proposers, although it has not alleviated all of his party’s concerns. The party primarily wants more certainty that healthcare providers can continue to “push back” with impunity against young people who are pushing for gender reassignment.

The Schoof I Cabinet’s collapse also played a role in this bill’s greater chances of success. The CDA and NSC would have preferred to regulate the approach to conversion therapy through a ban on psychological abuse, which has been in the works for some time. But the Cabinet’s collapse has delayed that bill.

The conservative Christian party SGP remains strongly opposed ot the bill, as does the far-right FvD. ChristenUnie is also not yet convinced, said party leader Mijram Bikker.

The support of GroenLinks-PvdA, SP, and PvdD is certain. They co-submitted the bill.