European Citizens' Initiative Calls for EU-Wide Ban on ConversionTherapy
The European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) has gathered over one million signatures, urging the European Commission to legally prohibitconversiontherapiestargetingLGBTQ+individualsinthe European Union. This initiative seeks for the Commission to proposeaDirectivethatwouldincludethesepracticesasoffenses ataEuropeanleveloramendthecurrentEqualityDirectivetoban them.
Conversion therapies are considered pseudosciences that attempttochangesexualorientationorgenderidentity Theyhave beendenouncedasinhumaneandclosetotorturepractices,with severe consequences for victims' mental health, including depression, suicide, and social withdrawal. In Spain, a Draft OrganicLawhasalreadybeenintroducedtocriminalizethem. TheEuropeanParliament,withalargemajority,hasdemandeda ban on these therapies and called for measures to protect the fundamental rights of LGBTI people, including education to prevent discrimination and the depathologization of trans identities.
The ECI has achieved broad citizen and political support for the EU to take firm and binding measures to prohibit conversion therapies in all its member states, especially protecting minors andvulnerableindividuals.
Brutal Murder of Sara Millerey GonzálezBorja,a32-Year-OldTrans Woman,inAntioquia,Colombia
On April 4th, Sara Millerey González Borja,a32-year-oldtranswoman,was brutally attacked, beaten, and thrown into a ravine in Antioquia, Colombia. She agonized for hours before being rescuedandlaterdyinginthehospital.
TheProsecutorGeneral'sOfficeandtheNationalWorkingGroupfor the Investigation of Violence Based on Sexual Orientation and/or Gender Identity are investigating the case, and a reward has been offeredforusefulinformation.Sofar,noarrestshavebeenmade. Sara Millerey's murder is not an isolated incident. Human rights organizations, such as CaribeAfirmativo, report systematic violence against the LGBTIQ+ community in Colombia, with 25 people murderedduetotheirsexualidentitysofarthisyear,15ofwhomwere trans people. This case has highlighted the gap between legal advancements in LGBTIQ+ rights in Colombia and the reality of persistentviolenceandhatespeech.
U.S. Supreme Court to Review Ban on LGBT+ Conversion TherapiesforMinors
The U S Supreme Court has announced it will review a Colorado law that prohibits "conversion therapies" for LGBT+ minors since 2019 These practices, considered harmful and This crime has sparked strong condemnation of transphobia in the country.ThemayorofBello,LorenaGonzálezOspina,describedthe actasan"atrociousandhate-filledact."PresidentGustavoPetroalso spoke out, associating the crime with "fascism" and the "violent eliminationofdifferences."
ineffective (and even "assimilable to torture" by the UN), seek to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity and are bannedinmanycountries.
The case arises because a psychological counselor in Colorado, Kaley Chiles, has sued the state, arguing that the ban violates her freedom of expression under the First Amendment, based on her Christianfaith.Despitelosinginpreviousinstances,theconservativemajoritySupremeCourthasagreedtoreviewherappeal. Colorado defends its law, noting that about twenty other states have similar prohibitions and highlighting the severe mental health risks (including suicidal thoughts) for those who undergo these therapies. TheCourt'sdecisioncouldaffectstates'abilitytoprotectpatientsfrom harmful practices by health professionals. Additionally, the Court is also expected to rule soon on trans minors' access to gender reassignmenttreatments.
