GRAI is calling on the Cook Government to apologise and bring forward long-promised laws banning all forms of conversion and suppression practices. “This was state-sponsored abuse,” said David Gibson, Chair of GRAI. “The Cook Government must own this history — apology without legislation means nothing. Every day of delay leaves people unprotected.” The Medical Journal of Australia paper and an ABC 7.30 investigation detail how, in the 1970s, children were detained at Stubbs Terrace Psychiatric Hospital in Perth and forced to conform to gender stereotypes through invasive and humiliating practices. One survivor, Jayne, recalled: “They observed whether I stood to pee — all to force me into being ‘male’.” The 1987 paper describing these practices was authored by a senior WA Government psychiatrist and remains cited today by opponents of gender-affirming care. In 2022, following the Esther Foundation inquiry, the WA Government pledged to outlaw conversion practices — but three years later, no legislation has been introduced. WA is now the only mainland state without legal protections. “This research shows the real cost of delay,” Gibson said. “Decades of trauma were caused by state-funded programs, and survivors deserve justice, redress, and a clear commitment that this will never happen again.” GRAI is calling for a public apology, a comprehensive ban on conversion practices, and a civil redress scheme to support survivors. #LGBTI #ConversionPractices Parliament of Western Australia https://lnkd.in/gDVfJ-dm
