Majority in Dutch Senate supports ban on gay conversion therapy
After getting majority support in parliament, a D66 and VVD bill to ban gay conversion therapy now also has the support of a majority in the Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate. The Senators debated the bill on Tuesday and will officially vote on it next week, NOS reports.
If the law is implemented, it will be a criminal offense to force homosexual and transgender people to undergo therapy or faith healing to change their sexual preferences or gender identity. Violators of the law will risk hefty fines or up to two years in prison.
The D66 and VVD want the law to prevent the suffering of people forced to undergo these “cures.” The United Nations Human Rights Commission previously concluded that the practices cause serious suffering.
Before the start of the debate in the Eerste Kamer, LGBTQIA+ advocacy group COC Nederland presented a petition to the Senators, with 8,000 signatories asking them to support the bill.
According to the COC, there are about 15 providers of gay conversion in the Netherlands that provide these “treatments” to thousands of people. They’re mostly active in orthodox communities that consider homosexuality and being transgender as illnesses.
The Council of State criticized a previous version of the bill, saying that it was difficult to enforce. The bill also received criticism from the Christian parties, given that it limits freedom of religion. They argued that the bill not only bans gay conversion therapy but also limits how clergy, pastoral workers, and religious organizations can deal with young people who are questioning their sexual orientation.
The initiators then amended the bill, only making it illegal to intrusively and systematically push people to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. Occasional conversations about this would not be punishable.
These changes seem to be enough for a Senate majority to support the bill. Though some parties still questioned it. They proposed sending the amended law to the Council of State again, but there was no majority for that. The BBB, which supported the bill in parliament, withdrew its support in the Senate.
The Cabinet supports the bill. Minister David van Weel of Justice and Security told the Senate that the content of the bill aligns with what was agreed in the coalition agreement, and he is not concerned about its feasibility.
