Historical Vote for LGBTQ+ Rights in France
“Banning Conversion Therapy in France was a real necessity” - Benoit Berthe Siward.
In January 2022, France became the third European country to ban Conversion Therapy, after Malta and Germany. Some regions in Spain have also banned Conversion Therapy. This means attempting to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTQ+ people will be punished with jail time and fines.
This bill was especially important for Benoit since in his youth he was affected by the lack of a bill to protect him from Conversion Therapy. This experience of being a victim of Conversion Therapy has motivated him to put an end to this abuse.
As a Conversion Therapy Survivor, he wanted to spread awareness on the practice of Conversion Therapy and fight for better LGBTIQ+ rights.
He co-founded the collective of Conversion Therapy Survivors, “Rien À Guérir” (Nothing To Cure) to protect others to be affected by abuses of Conversion Therapy.
He fought for four years to push for a law to ban Conversion Therapy, which included participating in the debate and convincing the politicians that the bill was necessary.
Benoit with “Rien À Guérir” finally reached the goal in January 2022 by helping to bring the bill to the National Assembly (French parliament), which passed unanimously from political left to right. This has given Benoit hope for the future of LGBTIQ+ rights in France:
“Banning Conversion Therapy in France was a real necessity.
While a few politicians were arguing that the French Law* had a strong enough LGBTQ+ protection, our collective of Conversion Therapy Survivors, “Rien À Guérir” (Nothing To Cure), proved them wrong by showing all the loopholes and difficulties to properly sue the people who are practising the abuses of Conversion Therapy.
In fact, Conversion Therapy practices have been happening in France for more than 30 years, and none of these practised has been condemned, nor punished until now: that’s why we needed a law to clearly define all the forms that Conversion Therapy can take and how to properly ban them.
The French law is now the strongest existing to fight against Conversion Therapies, as it includes for example a ban for all ages and abuses against sexual orientation and gender identity.
It’s also the first time an LGBTQ+ law was voted unanimously in France, which is a very important symbol and a sign of the unanimous condemnation of those tortures in a country that should protect human rights.”
*The old law criminalised aspects of Conversion Therapy under crimes such as "wilful violence", "abuse of weakness" or the "illegal exercise of medicine".
However, the new law criminalises Conversion Therapies of all sorts, which includes physical aggression, exorcism, hormone therapy, electric shocks and spiritual retreats.
- Benoit Berthe Siward, who is based in London, is a filmmaker, strategist, nightlife photographer, and co-founder of “Rien À Guérir” (Nothing To Cure). He uses his social media platforms and reaches to spread awareness on the practice of Conversion Therapy and fight for LGBTIQ+ rights.
Pictures by: Yann Morrison and JB Huong Photo.
