Suella Braverman has expressed fears she could be criminalised for her personal views should transgender conversion therapy be banned in the UK.
The former Home Secretary said she teaches her children that “a boy cannot be a girl” and because of that view, fears she could be criminalised.
Speaking during a debate on proposals to ban conversion therapy, which aims to stop or suppress someone from being gay, or from identifying as a different gender to their sex recorded at birth, Braverman expressed concern for parents “valiantly to navigate this unchartered territory”.
She urged MPs to oppose plans to ban the practice despite several professional bodies, including NHS England, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the British Psychological Society, calling the therapy “unethical and potentially harmful”.
Suella Braverman was speaking during a debate about the banning of trans conversion therapy
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Previous plans to ban conversion therapy were scrapped entirely, much to the anger of campaigners, but were eventually re-instated.
However, the old plan did not include a ban on practices aimed at transgender people.
The Government has now said it will ban all forms of conversion therapy in England and Wales - including those that target trans people.
Braverman is also calling for transitioning to be banned for under-18s.
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Offering or advertising LGBT conversion practices would be banned under a proposed law to be considered by MPs on Friday
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Some MPs fear parents could be criminalised if they try to stop their child transitioning.
The backbencher MP went on to claim during the debate tabled by Lloyd Russell-Moyle that there was “very little evidence” that trans conversion therapy is a “current problem” in Britain.
She added that the “misguided” proposals put forward by Russell-Moyle would put therapists, teachers and parents at risk of falling foul of the rules and would “capture so many types of behaviour where there is an innocent or well-intentioned objective”.
Braverman said: “If I were in the position of having a child presenting anxiety, my own child presenting questions like this, I would want to support them, I’d want them to be happy but I’d also want to direct them in the way I knew best, consistent with my parental authority, educating and teaching them about gender and sex.
Lloyd Russell-Moyle tabled the debate
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“And in my view, in our household, in my family, we believe that a man cannot be a woman, a boy cannot be a girl and that is what I would be telling my children, with the best intentions and from a place of love.
“And if that were to criminalise me… that would be a crying shame and a total undermining of good parenting in this country.”
The former Home Secretary continued to add that the Government’s draft guidance for schools is a “good start” but in her view “doesn’t go far enough”.
Braverman said it would be a 'crying shame' to undermine 'good parenting in this country'
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She said: “Ultimately if we are to properly safeguard the welfare of children we do need to totally ban transitioning under 18.
“And if that requires a change in the law then I can’t think of any better reason than to change the law but to support and safeguard young children in those circumstances.”
She concluded by making clear that she is “not transphobic” and expects to receive a “barrage of trolling and abuse and hate mail” for her views and words during the debate.
“We’ll all be smeared very quickly after this debate. It’s a sorry indictment of our political discourse on this subject,” she said.