Stonewall and 80 groups pull out of government LGBT+ conference over conversion therapy failure

The government’s flagship LGBT+ rights conference, Safe To Be Me, is as good as dead after Stonewall and more than 80 LGBT+ groups cut any remaining ties.

Safe To Be Me has been billed by the government as the UK’s first ever global LGBT+ conference, and is set to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first official London Pride.

However, after the government confirmed it would be proceeding with a ban on conversion therapy that does not protect trans people, 82 LGBT+ and HIV organisations are now refusing to be involved.

The LGBT+ Consortium, an umbrella group for LGBT+ organisations across the UK, shared a statement from Stonewall, which said: Due to the prime minister’s broken promise on protecting trans people from the harms of conversion therapy, we regret that we are withdrawing Stonewall’s support for the UK government’s Safe To Be Me conference.

“We will only be able to participate if the prime minister reverts to his promise for a trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy.”

The statement is backed by 82 other LGBTQIA+ organisations including GIRES, Gendered Intelligence, Mermaids, The LGBT Foundation, The Peter Tatchell Foundation, The Intercom Trust, The Proud Trust, The Ozanne Foundation and many others. It’s understood that more groups are set to join.