The history of LGBTQ+ people and the counselling and psychotherapeutic professions is a history of pathologization, distrust and very often immense harms. Since 2015 some protection has been offered to LGB people in the UK from conversion therapy. Trans people were deliberately excluded from this protection. This weekend over 80 therapists, mental health professionals, students, and LGBTQ+ organisations are sending an open letter to the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy to call for trans people to be added to the memorandum on understanding on conversion therapy, and for better training on LGBTQ+ issues.

To: The Governors of the BACP

We, the undersigned, wish to express our deep unease with the attitude of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy to issues of gender and sexual diversity. In particular it is very worrying that after a year of consultation there seems to be no movement on adding protection from conversion/reparative therapy to trans people. Nor does it…