Conversion therapies are now to be banned in Switzerland
An important and welcome message for the LGBTQIA+ community in Switzerland! Here, conversion therapies for children and young adults are to be banned in the future.
This is exactly what was recently decided by the Legal Affairs Committee of the National Council. 16 voted in favor of the ban. Six people showed in the course of the vote that they would like everything to remain as it is. There was also one abstention.
The next step? The path via the Federal Council.
The problem with conversion therapies....
To begin with, there is certainly not only one problem associated with conversion therapies. What is certain in any case is that the people who are "cured" are exposed to enormous psychological pressure.
Not only do they have to endure the appropriate "treatments", but they are continuously given the feeling of being "out of order".
Now that a vote has been taken in favor of the ban, the ball is in the court of the National Council and the City Council. They still have to officially approve the enactment of the ban.
Many are relieved ... For several reasons
Not only the fact that the ban on conversion therapies in Switzerland is now to come, but also the aspect that so many have spoken out in favor of it, is cause for joy for numerous queers. Ultimately, the result of the vote shows, among other things, that a change in thinking has taken place.
A look at the voting results shows that the desire for abolition is represented across party lines. Here, most politicians - regardless of their convictions - seem to be very similar.
In the future, LGBTQIA+ people in Switzerland will now be better protected. This is progress from which the entire community can benefit.
What does the research say?
Conversion therapies are considered "outdated" for several reasons. One of the reasons: Current research. In the meantime, many scientists have looked into the goals of conversion therapies. Most of them have come to one conclusion: The way a person is sexually oriented or what gender identity he or she presents cannot be changed consciously or with pressure. On the contrary. Precisely this pressure could ultimately ensure that those affected suffer permanent damage.
Despite the impending ban, there is still reason for criticism for many. For the time being, conversion therapies are to be banned only for children and young adults. Politicians in Switzerland are currently refraining from imposing a general ban.
Many people who have had to undergo such therapy in the course of their lives still have to seek help from psychologists afterwards. Some traumas are never worked through.
The ban on conversion therapies in Switzerland: Where do we go from here?
The first step has been taken. However, further instances still have to be gone through in order to be able to finally push through the ban on conversion therapies in Switzerland. If the National Council and the City Council now also agree, the corresponding bill will be drafted by the Federal Council.
And it is precisely after this that the lives of many queers in Switzerland are likely to change. And who knows? Maybe it will be a little easier for those who were affected by conversion therapy and its consequences in the past to come to terms with this issue? After all, on closer examination, this is also a kind of "admission of guilt" on the part of the legislature. It does not happen every day that bans of this kind are enacted and old laws are thus put "ad acta". This requires a rethink in people's minds.
Do you also often ask yourself the question, how do you find the right gay cinema?