Facebook and Instagram to block ‘conversion therapy’ promotions
In 2018, the UK government announced banning the so-called conversion therapies as part of the LGBT+ equality plan. It has not happened yet. Celebrities and charities have now signed a letter to the government calling for conversion therapy to be made illegal. Instagram and Facebook are changing their policy approach of how they handle conversion therapy related content, including ads. ‘We don’t allow attacks against people based on sexual orientation or gender identity and are updating our policies to ban the promotion of conversion therapy services.’, said Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) public policy director of Instagram, Tara Hopkins. The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law also published a brief about Conversion Therapy and LGBT+ Youth. It estimates that in the USA, 20 000 LGBT+ minors without protections ‘will be subjected to conversion therapy by a licensed healthcare professional if state officials fail to act’.
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