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As I say, if anyone wants to have a look at that list, they are welcome to do so. I will go back to the definition of the offence of providing conversion therapy. To be guilty of that offence, there are three criteria. The first is that you carry out conversion therapy. The second is that you have: "the intent of…
I thank the Member for making that poignant point. Whilst he is right that it sounds like nonsense, it is important for the Member to read that, because there is a certain gender ideology that is being pushed by the Bill. That is why it is so important to define the term "gender identity". The Member is absolutely…
FlaggedGender, sexuality, abortion and related social issuesCriteria met: Dog-whistle messaging, Controversy escalation.
I hope that the Bill sponsor will address that point when he makes his winding-up speech. This evening, I looked up the number of gender types that have been claimed. There is a list of 72. I do not know whether there are more than that. Quite frankly, when you look down the list, you can only describe it as nonsense.…
FlaggedDecided on a second assessment.Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issuesCriteria met: Sectarian or communal antagonism, Dog-whistle messaging, Controversy escalation.
On a point of order, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Maybe I misheard you earlier: I thought that you said that the debate was not a wider debate about gender identity. Everything that the previous Member to speak said —.
I thank the Member for giving way. That is an important point. People have asked why I have continually asked the question about gender identity, which is mentioned in the Bill more than 11 times. The point that I will raise with the Member is a very important one. In his submission, Mr O'Neill KC talks about how the…
Clause 7 of the Member's Bill says more about how we define "intent", so I will jump ahead to that. Clause 7(1) states: "For the purposes of this Act, there is no intent to change or suppress sexual orientation or gender identity if— (a) there is no intent to direct a victim towards a particular sexual orientation or…
I thank the Member for giving way. He has hit on a very important point, which is that mens rea is really difficult to establish in court. There is therefore an incredibly high bar for prosecution, because it has to be proved beyond all reasonable doubt what was in the person's mind when they conducted the act. It has…
I will come on to the other two clauses that the Bill sponsor mentioned. My concern throughout has been that he has set an extremely low bar in the Bill, which would see all sorts of people potentially facing prosecution. People might have what they thought was a reasonable conversation with somebody, but, afterwards,…
I thank the Member for giving way. I suspect that I am going to make this point on a number of occasions over the coming hours, as I did last week. The use of the word "therapy" is deliberate, in that it frames what we are talking about when there is reference to talking therapy, coaching or instructing, or treatment…
One of the main cruxes of the Bill is the definition of conversion therapy, and that is one of the main problems with it. If the Bill sponsor had said that it was any type of coaching or instruction in a therapeutic setting or a clinical setting, it could be looked at in a different way. However, because the Bill…
No. It is a wee bit early yet. The sponsor has accepted that existing legislation already criminalises the objectionable activities that we are told have taken place in the past as conversion practices in relation to people's sexual orientation or gender identity, such as physical assault, imprisonment, forced…
I am deeply concerned about the Conversion Practices (Criminalisation) Bill. In fact, I consider it to be something of a Trojan horse, as I will explain. The sponsor, the Alliance MLA, Mr Tennyson, has accepted —.
That is for the Deputy Speaker to decide. I have a number of queries for the Bill sponsor about definitions in the Bill. I want to know what he means by "coaching" and "instruction". There are a lot of definitions that I am unsure of. We have been told that we are not allowed to discuss wider gender identity, but a…
Further to that point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker, I appreciate that that was the ruling last week. However, Members sought clarity from the Speaker's Office. The Speaker's Office brought clarity to the House on Monday morning when the Speaker said clearly: "gender identity is therefore permissible in the context of…