Jacinda Ardern promises to ban conversion therapy in New Zealand by the end of the year, BUT this is not soon enough. Conversion therapy is the practice of trying to change an individual's sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual using psychological, physical, or spiritual abuse.

There is NO reliable evidence that sexual orientation can be changed and medical institutions warn that conversion therapy practices are ineffective, harmful and traumatising. Conversion therapy is still legal and currently practiced, this is a human rights issue that needs to be acted on NOW.

So-called “conversion therapy,” sometimes known as “reparative therapy,” is a range of dangerous and discredited abusive practices that falsely claim to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. These practices have been rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organisation for decades, but due to continuing discrimination and societal bias against LGBTQ+ people, some practitioners continue to conduct conversion therapy. Minors are especially vulnerable, and conversion therapy can lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide.