Homosexuality is not a disease – it’s not an opinion, but medical consensus. Nevertheless, there are Christian-conservative groups who want to cure Gays and lesbians””. This could soon be banned.
“You want to talk to the colleagues Hawrylak. I’ll give you more time, sitting next to me.” If journalists call the Berlin office of the SPD parliamentary deputies, Frank Young, then you do not wish to speak often, Young self, but one of his student employees. Lucas Hawrylak – 26, master’s student, Berliner-by-choice – is perhaps the most sought-after queer activist in Germany. The reason: A Petition launched by Hawrylak in front of a three quarters of a year. She has collected up to now about 80.700 votes.
The claim: The Federal government should ban conversion therapies for Gays and lesbians of their homosexuality are to be diverted. Such therapies are offered by Doctors and psychotherapists, but also of pastors and other pastors. The therapies range from discussions about homeopathic treatments to techniques of psychotherapy and conditioning.
In October 2018 Lucas Hawrylak (center) and Jackie handed-Oh the wine house (left) and Amy Strong of the Ministry of justice of signatures to ban “gay cure”
Doctors, the demons cast out
These practices are mainly from conservative Christian communities in the United States. There have undergone, according to estimates, nearly 700,000 people such therapy – about half of whom are children and young people. But also in Germany, there is such a “gay cures”. Especially from Evangelical circles, there are always reports that gay people – especially young people – are advised to let their sexual orientation be cast out. So Bastian Melcher, tried as a Teenager in a very strict Baptist family, of his gay cure the DW, it was reported to exorcise, like a doctor trying to get him through the laying on of hands”demons”.
But even among Catholic Doctors black sheep, who want to cure Gays and lesbians””. On demand of the DW, the German bishops ‘ conference, said, you am conversion therapies “extremely skeptical”.
“Homosexuality needs no cure”
Even if the acceptance of homosexuality in Germany has increased significantly in recent years, queer people continued to prejudice and discrimination. According to a study by the Federal government resulted in the anti-discrimination office in 2017, that 18.3 percent of the German homosexuality as “unnatural” and 9.7 percent as “immoral”.
It is clear: “homosexuality is not a disease and needs no cure” – these are not the words of queer activists, but by the German medical Association and the world medical Association. Conversion therapies stand in opposition to the scientific consensus among Doctors and therapists.
Therapy with bad side effects
You can leave serious psychological damage to those who engage in such treatment, especially in affected children and adolescents.
“Gay and lesbian young people in need of support and not a therapy in order to be different”, confirms Uwe weather, the past 30 years as a psychotherapist active. A therapy that aims to change one’s own sexuality, could “to personality and identity disorders, to depression, to self-injury,” the former Vice-President of the Association of German psychologists and psychotherapists. Therefore, queer activists have long called for a ban.
Even if polls show that the majority of German homosexuality, accept that many Gays and lesbians still suffer discrimination
Children and young people protect
What exactly would that mean, explained Lucas Hawrylak: “first, We want to year for a ban on conversion therapies for children and young people – in mind. In addition, conversion therapies should be allowed to be advertised on the Internet anywhere anymore. Third, a ban for adults would of course be very, very desirable.”
Such claims are not new, but so far, they met hardly a political hearing. In July 2018, the Federal government said that plans for a no-ban conversion therapies.
Broad-based campaign for a ban on
The did not want to accept Lucas Hawrylak. He launched not only a Petition, but a large-scale campaign to promote a ban on the “gay cure”. Quickly, many groups of people joined him – including the coalition for action against homophobia Enough is Enough, All-Out, and a travesty for Germany. Together they advertised in traditional and social media for your concern.
The media Hawrylak handed over to the Ministry of justice of the collected Signatures; we organised a Film and discussion evenings on Social Media, it promoted #Homo needs no cure for the Petition.
And the activists, Hawrylak operated behind-the-Scenes political lobbying, exposed latches for politicians and their staff to advertise for your concern.
With obvious success. Now the question seems to be: a ban? But it comes first in the Bundestag or in the Bundesrat?
Especially children and young people to be protected by a ban
Advances of countries and the Federal government
In the government coalitions from Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hessen, are there any plans in the Federal Council to ban the use of conversion therapies to propose.
Jens Spahn stressed last week that he would “take care of in a hurry”, therefore, that a ban is coming. The Federal Minister of health had announced in a taz-Interview two weeks ago that he wanted to have with his Ministerial colleagues “up to the summer on a regulatory proposal agreed”. With resistance from conservative religious circles within the Union he is not, so Spahn expect: “I can’t imagine that there are in the Union faction in the Bundestag, a follower of conversion therapies.”
“I don’t believe in these therapies, because of my own Gayness,” said Minister of health, Jens Spahn of the taz
Minister of justice, Catherine Barley (SPD) supports Spahn and wants to bring a law to ban “pseudo therapies”.
No single party is yet
Support for a ban it seems to be in all of the opposition factions of the Bundestag.
The Greens have tabled in mid-February, even a law for a ban on “gay cures” for Minors in the Parliament; the Left calls for a ban. The queer-political speaker of the FDP, Jens Brandenburg, calls for “a Europe-wide ban on the inhuman reversal therapies”.
Even the AfD parliamentary group – which, among other things, for the repeal of same-sex marriage advocates reject conversion therapies. “A legal ban on conversion therapies, we are open”, the health policy spokesman of the right-wing populists, Axel Gehrke.
The ban should come, could be the Federal Republic of Germany in Europe at the forefront. Only in Malta there is not yet a country-wide ban. There, self-proclaimed Homo-healers can expect up to 10,000 Euro fine or a year in prison.
“We are loud”
And if the announced ban on not? Or are there in the Bundestag or the Bundesrat surprising resistance?
“Then we are more loud. Then we will be more active. We now have over 80,000 Supporters on the platform and the topic continues to grow. Even if many of the German of the topic have yet heard nothing, I believe that a large part of the population is in favour of a ban,” said Lucas Hawrylak.