The Belgian Federal Parliament on Thursday unanimously passed a bill banning conversion practices, with Vlaams Belang abstaining.
Proposed by the Secretary of State for Equal Opportunities, Gender and Diversity, Marie-Colline Leroy (Ecolo) and Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld), the text aims to penalise practices aiming to discourage, suppress or modify a person’s gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation.
These practices can take pseudo-medical forms, use psychological pressure on the victim by playing on feelings of shame, or involve practices involving physical harm. Moreover, they have no scientific basis.
With this bill, conversion practices will be banned in Belgium, as will attempting, inciting, offering and advertising such practices. Breaches of the new law will be punishable by a prison sentence of between eight days and two years and/or a fine of €208 to €2,400.
The court will be also able to impose a professional ban of up to 5 years if the conversion practice is committed in a professional context.
