Trans MSP Q Manivannan has been accused of trying to ‘criminalise’ parents discussing sex and gender with their children in their first intervention at Holyrood.
The controversial Scottish Green MSP has lodged a parliamentary motion demanding a legal ban on so-called conversion practices ‘across all settings’.
Critics fear it will gag worried parents, teachers and therapists from talking to children about the uncertainty and upheaval of puberty.
Conversion practices are usually thought of as bigoted attempts to ‘fix’ same-sex attraction.
But feminist campaigners For Women Scotland (FWS) warn a sweeping ban could also stop responsible adults merely discussing with young people why they might be transgender.
That in turn could lock youngsters into an ‘affirmative pathway’ towards irreversible measures such as surgery. The Scottish Green manifesto backed a ban in all ‘religious, informal, community, family-based and therapeutic’ settings.
Susan Smith of FWS said it could criminalise ‘conversations at the dinner table’.
Trans MSP Q Manivannan has lodged a parliamentary motion demanding a legal ban on so-called conversion practices
Scottish Tory MSP Murdo Fraser added: ‘This is a blatant attempt from this new Green MSP to silence anyone who has concerns about potential legislation on this subject.’
Manivannan’s motion claimed there was a ‘pressing need to end conversion practices in Scotland’. It said: ‘Any change in legislation must be comprehensive and cover sexual orientation, including asexuality, and gender identity, across all settings.’
It called on the Scottish Government to introduce a Bill within a year. The SNP manifesto only promises such a Bill if the UK Government fails to legislate on the issue.
Ms Smith said extreme forms of conversion therapy, such as electric shocks, were already banned, and the risk was that ‘talking therapy’ would be next.
She said: ‘If it includes conversations around the dinner table that’s incredibly concerning. You can’t have people criminalised for conversations at home.’
Ms Smith added: ‘I would be astonished if Q had encountered conversion therapy in Scotland, so I want to know what problem he thinks he’s solving.’
The Scottish Greens were asked for comment.