<p>New Zealand's parliament on Tuesday near-unanimously passed a legislation that bans practices intended to forcibly change a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, known as conversion therapy.</p>.<p>The bill, which was introduced by the government last year, passed with 112 votes in favour and eight votes opposed.</p>.<p>“This is a great day for New Zealand’s rainbow communities,” Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi said.</p>.<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/not-everyone-is-male-or-female-the-growing-controversy-over-sex-designation-1078600.html" target="_blank">Not everyone is male or female: The growing controversy over sex designation</a></strong></p>.<p>“Conversion practices have no place in modern New Zealand."</p>.<p>The government has said practices such as conversion therapy do not work, are widely discredited and cause harm.</p>.<p>The legislation also lays out what is not conversion practice and protects the right to express opinion, belief, religious belief or principle which is not intended to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.</p>.<p>The government said it had received nearly 107,000 public submissions on the bill, the highest number of public submissions ever received on any legislation.</p>.<p>Under the legislation, it will be an offence to perform conversion practices on a child or young person aged under 18, or on someone with impaired decision-making capacity. Such offences would be subject to up to three years imprisonment.</p>.<p>It will also be an offence to perform conversion practices on anyone – irrespective of age – where the practices have caused serious harm, and offenders can be subject to up to five years imprisonment.</p>.<p>Laws against conversion therapy have been gaining momentum around the world. Canada's parliament voted unanimously last year to ban LGBT+ conversion therapy.</p>.<p>The United States does not have a federal ban on conversion therapy, but several US states, including California, Colorado, New York, Washington and Utah, prohibit the practice to some degree.</p>.<p>Aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, conversion therapy can include talk therapy, hypnosis, electric shocks and fasting. In extreme cases, exorcism and "corrective rape" for lesbians, have been documented.</p>.<p>Ending conversion therapy was one New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's campaign promises when she was elected for a second term last year. </p>
<p>New Zealand's parliament on Tuesday near-unanimously passed a legislation that bans practices intended to forcibly change a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, known as conversion therapy.</p>.<p>The bill, which was introduced by the government last year, passed with 112 votes in favour and eight votes opposed.</p>.<p>“This is a great day for New Zealand’s rainbow communities,” Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi said.</p>.<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/not-everyone-is-male-or-female-the-growing-controversy-over-sex-designation-1078600.html" target="_blank">Not everyone is male or female: The growing controversy over sex designation</a></strong></p>.<p>“Conversion practices have no place in modern New Zealand."</p>.<p>The government has said practices such as conversion therapy do not work, are widely discredited and cause harm.</p>.<p>The legislation also lays out what is not conversion practice and protects the right to express opinion, belief, religious belief or principle which is not intended to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.</p>.<p>The government said it had received nearly 107,000 public submissions on the bill, the highest number of public submissions ever received on any legislation.</p>.<p>Under the legislation, it will be an offence to perform conversion practices on a child or young person aged under 18, or on someone with impaired decision-making capacity. Such offences would be subject to up to three years imprisonment.</p>.<p>It will also be an offence to perform conversion practices on anyone – irrespective of age – where the practices have caused serious harm, and offenders can be subject to up to five years imprisonment.</p>.<p>Laws against conversion therapy have been gaining momentum around the world. Canada's parliament voted unanimously last year to ban LGBT+ conversion therapy.</p>.<p>The United States does not have a federal ban on conversion therapy, but several US states, including California, Colorado, New York, Washington and Utah, prohibit the practice to some degree.</p>.<p>Aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, conversion therapy can include talk therapy, hypnosis, electric shocks and fasting. In extreme cases, exorcism and "corrective rape" for lesbians, have been documented.</p>.<p>Ending conversion therapy was one New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's campaign promises when she was elected for a second term last year. </p>