麻豆传媒映画

Two French MPs are working on a law to ban so-called 鈥渃onversion therapies鈥� in which gay people go through 鈥渁 treatment鈥� to become straight.

The Refuge association, which helps gay people in distress, says it has received 350 calls on the therapies this year. It says there are three types: societal, when society pushes homosexuals to be in the 鈥渘orm鈥�; medical, when therapists and doctors want to 鈥渉eal鈥� them; and spiritual, when religious people believe gays are possessed by the devil and try to have them exorcised.

One witness, who asked to be anonymous, said: 鈥淢y parents booked an exorcist for me. I鈥檝e been going through hell since I came out. They think demons have entered me.鈥�

MPs Bastien Lachaud and Laurence Vanceunebrock-Mialon plan to introduce a law, which will be debated in spring, to sentence anyone offering 鈥渃onversion therapies鈥� to two years鈥� imprisonment and a fine of 鈧�30,000.

Two associations, Courage and Torrent de Vie, are accused of practising such therapies and should be banned, said the MPs. Courage told Connexion: 鈥淲e do not practise therapy. We are a Catholic association which helps these people to find their place in the religion. We offer support.鈥�