Outlawed.

Gay conversion therapy will now be outlawed in Victoria under the new laws that are set to be introduced in the parliament in the upcoming days.

The Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Bill 2020 is the bill that will be presented next week.

The bill is going to empower the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission to investigate reports of conversion practices that will seek to change or surpass the sexual orientation or gender identity of a human being.

Under the new laws, those that subject others to change or suppression practices, which could cause injury or serious mental or physical injury, will be capable of facing up to 10 years in prison.

Not only that but advertising the therapy will also allow the law to implement a criminal penalty. They could also pay a maximum fine of almost $10,000.

Jill Hennessey, the Attorney-General, said that the laws that are to be presented in the parliament next week send out a clear message.

A statement was released by Jill, where they said: “No one is ‘broken’ because of their sexuality or gender identity. These views won’t be tolerated in Victoria and neither will these abhorrent practices.”

Ro Allen, the Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ communities, said that the importance of the reforms that are to be presented will save the lives of a lot of people.

Survivors of the conversion practices and the LGBT community supported an outright ban on conversion therapy.

The good thing is that Victoria is not the only one in the country to do such a thing.

Queensland is the first state/territory in Australia that outlawed the cruel practice.

Under the law that was passed in the Sunshine State, a health care professional that tries to convert an LGBTQIA+ person into a straight person or suppress their sexuality will be facing 18 months in prison.

The legislation mentions aversion therapy, hypnotherapy, and psychoanalysis as ways of converting.

Also, Australia is not the only country in the world.

Malta, Brazil, and Germany have all banned the use of the therapy.

Israel is also making moves to do the same thing.

What are your thoughts about this new bill that Victoria is going to introduce? Let us know what you think about it by leaving a comment in the comments section below!