{"id":10437,"date":"2018-09-21T17:34:53","date_gmt":"2018-09-21T17:34:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/?p=10437"},"modified":"2018-09-21T17:34:53","modified_gmt":"2018-09-21T17:34:53","slug":"ban-the-cure-lgbtqia-people-are-not-sick-capitalism-is-the-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/ban-the-cure-lgbtqia-people-are-not-sick-capitalism-is-the-illness\/","title":{"rendered":"Ban the \u2018cure\u2019! LGBTQIA+ people are not sick! Capitalism is the illness!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stockport Alliance For Equality (SAFE) launched its campaign demanding a ban on the so-called the LGBT \u2018cure\u2019 in this country, at Stockport Pride in July 2018.
\nAshley Walker
\nThe \u2018cure\u2019 ideology (also known as reparative therapy, conversion therapy or the gay \u2018cure\u2019), is an archaic remnant from when LGBTQIA+ people were commonly seen as \u2018evil\u2019 or having a mental illness that could be reversed.
\n\u2018Cure therapy\u2019 is generally based on mainstream methods of psychotherapy, talking therapies and includes spiritual interventions, drugs and other extreme physical measures [1].
\nIt is harmful and a form of violence and abuse that leaves most victims suicidal and depressed.
\nToday, these processes are not illegal in the UK.
\nThe President of the British Psychological Society Nicola Gale, and other UK counselling and psychotherapy bodies including the NHS, have recently signed a memorandum condemning such practices, updating the Department of Health 2015 memorandum that focused exclusively on sexual orientation.
\nBut these apparent advances will make little impact without eliminating racist, sexist and LGBTQIA+ phobic oppression [2].
\nA UK-wide survey of LGBTQIA+ people, published in July 2018, found that 5% of the 108,000 responses had been offered and refused conversion therapy and a further 2% responded that they had undergone the processes [3].
\nIn the UK, \u2018cure\u2019 programmes are still proposed by religious organisations which had male chauvinistic discriminatory views on LGBTQIA+ rights and they aim to eradicate anything other than people being heterosexual and cis-gender.
\nOppressive and abusive \u2018cure therapies\u2019 have historically been denied however, a 2015 Stonewall study found that one in ten health and social care staff witnessed colleagues expressing a belief that sexual orientation could be \u2018cured\u2019 [4].
\nThe LGBTQIA+ \u2018cure\u2019 is not illegal in several US states, all but one Australian state, some areas of Canada, in Russia, France and Germany and most of the world\u2019s countries. \u201cThat we\u2019re still having this battle 45 years after the removal of homosexuality from the diagnostic manual is incredibly disturbing,\u201d claims Carolyn Rees from the campaign #BornPerfect to end conversion therapy.
\nOf course, the capitalist system needs divisions between workers to enable the exploitation and oppression of all workers. LGBTQIA+ phobia, racism, and male chauvinism increase the vulnerability and oppression of all the working class. Therefore, class unity is essential in all our \ufb01ghts as we cannot end any oppression or prejudice alone under capitalism.
\nThe ISL support demands to ban the \u2018cure\u2019 and all oppression that put hard-won LGBTQIA+ rights under threat. The \ufb01ght for rights is a class \ufb01ght that must continue if those rights are not to be reversed.<\/p>\n