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Rainbow Labour caucus chair Shanan Halbert and Labour list MP Marja Lubeck at the Big Gay Out festival in Auckland.
The Government will introduce legislation to ban conversion therapy by mid-year and hopes to have it passed by next February.
In 2018, Mahurangi-based list MP Marja Lubeck received a petition from Rodney Rainbow and Young Labour to ban conversion therapy – a controversial practice which uses psychotherapy to attempt to reduce or stop same-sex attraction.
Ms Lubeck subsequently submitted a bill to the members’ ballot.
“Research shows efforts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity do not work and cause harm,” Ms Lubeck says.
“The practices are linked to adverse mental health effects including depression, anxiety and self-destructive behaviour.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern last month announced $4 million for rainbow mental wellbeing initiatives targeted at young people.
“Young people in the rainbow community are at greater risk of being discriminated against, bullied and harassed,” Ms Ardern said. “As a result, they have poorer physical and mental health and addiction outcomes and are at greater risk of suicide. We need to change that.”
Homosexuality was legalised by the Homosexual Law Reform Bill in 1986.
The New Zealand Association of Counsellors defines conversion therapy as “a pseudoscientific practice that seeks to change, suppress, or eliminate an individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, using psychological or spiritual interventions.”
