Equality Network

20/08/2026

“Being pushed towards conversion practices harmed my sense of self and acceptability, and my family relationships.”

Conversion practices are harmful acts which deliberately try to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Conversion practices can take many different forms, from pseudo-psychological treatments, to acts that take place in the home, and practices that are religious or spiritual in nature. They can be carried out by an individual, or by friends, family members, medical professionals or community groups.

They are based on the belief that LGBTQ+ identities are somehow flawed, wrong or “broken”, and need to be fixed.

This isn’t true, and conversion practices do not work. But they do have a devastating, lifelong impact for many survivors, affecting their identity, their physical and mental wellbeing and their relationships.

No one deserves to feel like they are broken or less than for being who they are. We know, however, that conversion practices still take place across Scotland and the UK. While some aspects are criminalised, others are not.

This is why we need a comprehensive ban to cover all settings, include non-legislative measures, and that doesn’t allow for supposed “consent” loopholes to prevent further harm. Scotland is now the only place in the UK which does not have a proposed bill to end conversion practices, following the recent introduction of bills in Northern Ireland and England/Wales.

We are calling upon the Scottish Government to introduce a bill to the Scottish Parliament, in line with their 2026 Holyrood manifesto commitment, as soon as possible to end these abhorrent practices for good.

You can read our analysis of the proposed bills in NI, England and Wales, and our case for a Scottish bill here: https://www.equality-network.org/our-work/policy-team/ending-conversion-practices/why-are-we-waiting/

10/08/2026

Three reasons why Scotland needs its own Conversion Practices Bill.

In part two of "Why are we waiting for a Scottish Conversion Practices Bill", EN policy manager Christopher explains why Scotland needs to act and end conversion practices for good.

Missed part one? Catch up on our profile and read the full analysis on our website - link in comments.

07/08/2026

Why are we waiting for a Scottish Conversion Practices Bill? Part 1.

Conversion practices are acts which deliberately try to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

They’re based on the flawed belief that is better to be heterosexual and/or cisgender, and come in a range of forms. At their most extreme, conversion practices can involve physical and sexual violence.

Whatever form they take, the evidence is clear that all conversion practices are abusive, harmful, and they do not work. Conversion practices need to stop.

Despite a lot of work in Scotland (including a report from the Scottish Parliament Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, the formation of an independent expert advisory group and a public consultation), conversion practices are still legal and people are still suffering.

As it stands, Scotland is the only part of the UK that has not introduced a draft bill to end the harm caused by conversion practices.

We think Scotland needs to act and introduce its own legislation to Holyrood urgently.

Want to know more? Check out our analysis on our website, and find out more about why Scotland needs its own bill in part two.

https://www.equality-network.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Why-Are-We-Waiting-The-Case-for-a-Scottish-Conversion-Practices-Bill-EN-ST-Analysis.pdf

04/08/2026

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights is calling on countries to "double down on the simple promise that human rights belong to everyone".

"Across the continent, I have met with people who have been imprisoned, assaulted in the street and sent death threats, simply because of who they are or the work they do.

In Georgia, Hungary, and Slovakia, regressive policies restricting civil society and LGBTI visibility have been enshrined in law and constitutions. From Tbilisi to Istanbul, freedoms of assembly, expression, and association for LGBTI people and their organisations face tightening restrictions.

Civil society organisations across Europe encounter existential threats through administrative pressure, harassment and intimidation.

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, trans people are pushed to the margins of society.

The attacks and intolerance do not happen in a vacuum. The undermining of the rights of LGBTI people serves as the tip of the spear in a broader backlash against human rights protection overall."

Read the full article at the link below.

Opinion article Copyright euobserver, 3 August 2026 Just a few days ago in Berlin, a Pride celebration ended in tragedy when a violent attack left one person dead and twenty-nine others...

27/07/2026

From Scotland to Berlin, we send our love, strength and solidarity. We stand with everyone impacted by the awful events at the Christopher Street Day Parade on Saturday, and with the LGBTQIA+ community across Germany.

We send our heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of the woman who lost her life in this senseless attack, and we wish gentle and swift healing to those 29 people who were injured as well as those who bore witness to this terrifying ordeal.

As the parade team stated, ‘such violence is an attempt to divide our society and incite people against each other,’ we too must not allow this. We stand strongly against all forms of hate. Everyone should feel safe to exist, to march for our rights and to celebrate who we are without fear of violence and discrimination.

It is vital that we stand strong together against hate and keep supporting each other in times of fear and uncertainty.

15/07/2026

The UK Government’s Minister for Equalities and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have taken the final steps of making the EHRC’s updated Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations statutory. The Code has now been commenced by the Minister, and will come into effect in 3 weeks on August 5th.

This Code says that trans people should never be able to use services provided separately to men and women in line with our gender identity, and suggests that we should be segregated into third spaces.

This won’t work for our community or the organisations who support us - if it is what the law requires then it is clear that the law must change. Ignoring the reality of who trans people truly are is an unacceptable and completely unworkable way for us to be treated.

We would like to thank everyone who has spoken out against the Code, and protested against the exclusion and segregation of our community . We all need to keep speaking up together to continue to make the case for trans and non-binary people to be safe, have access to the services we need, and to be treated fairly.

We will keep you updated on our next steps, and any future campaigns or actions you can take to make your voice heard. Make sure to take care of yourself, and your community, as we navigate forward.

For more information on the impacts of the Code coming into effect, read our joint statement with TransActual and Trans+ Solidarity Alliance here: https://www.scottishtrans.org/the-40-days-for-the-draft-ehrc-code-of-practice-to-be-laid-at-parliament-are-up/

14/07/2026

Happy International Non-binary People's Day to all of the incredible non-binary people across Scotland. We are proud to stand with you, today and every day 💛🤍💜🖤

13/07/2026

Scotland is the only part of the UK that has not introduced draft legislation to end conversion practices – we need our own comprehensive law to end the harm they cause as soon as possible.

Read our analysis on why a Scottish bill would be best for our community here: https://www.equality-network.org/our-work/policy-team/ending-conversion-practices/why-are-we-waiting/

We’ve published this analysis following the introduction of the UK’s Government’s draft conversion practices bill for England and Wales, and a private member’s bill in the Northern Ireland Assembly, comparing them to the Scottish Government’s draft proposals for a bill from 2024.

While the Scottish Government could potentially opt in to the UK Government’s bill so it covers Scotland as well, we think this would be a mistake as their legislation fails to adequately address all forms of conversion practices and includes major loopholes that we cannot guarantee the UK Government or Parliament will fix.

These failures include:

- not covering the suppression of sexual orientation or gender identity
- very broad exemptions for healthcare, including unregulated pseudo-therapy
- a de facto loophole for those who “consent” to conversion practices

Survivors of conversion practices have worked for years, often at great personal cost to their wellbeing, to make sure that the Scottish Government’s proposals would not just ban conversion practices, but end them for good. It would be a deep shame for the Scottish Government to abandon this work for a much weaker bill that would, in many cases, not even criminalise the horrendous experiences that those survivors went through.

At the link above you can read a short summary of our key thoughts on why Scottish legislation would be better, as well as our more in-depth analysis which compares the different draft bills in detail.

If you have been affected by conversion practices or require support, you can contact the LGBT Health and Wellbeing helpline here: https://lgbthealth.org.uk/service/conversion-practices/

10/07/2026

Working towards Disability Justice is crucial to furthering LGBTQIA+ human rights and inclusion. Our struggles are deeply intertwined - as are our communities!

It’s really important that disabled LGBTQIA+ people’s experiences are heard, respected and included in discussions and decision making. Take some time this Disability Pride month to learn more about disabled LGBTQIA+ people's experiences, and think about ways that you can work to make your communities more accessible and inclusive.

We have recently released two publications about disabled LGBTQIA+ lives in Scotland, which you can read on our website:

🏳️‍⚧️ Scottish Trans and Non-binary Experiences: Disabled People’s Spotlight Report -https://www.scottishtrans.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Scottish_Trans_and_Non-Binary_Experiences_Disabled_Peoples_Spotlight_Report.pdf
🏳️‍🌈 Creating Inclusion Together Zine - Q***r in Disabled Spaces, Disabled in Q***r Spaces - https://www.equality-network.org/resources/creating-inclusion-together-zine/

We are proud to work in solidarity with disabled people across Scotland, pushing for human rights, bodily autonomy, access and inclusion for all.

30/06/2026

Join Scottish Adoption and Fostering at their exciting upcoming events - including a welcoming online information session for LGBTQ+ people considering fostering and adoption! 🏳️‍🌈 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lgbtq-adoption-and-fostering-information-evening-tickets-1991539157230