Malta has made history by becoming the first country in Europe to ban gay conversion therapy. The nation’s parliament in Valetta approved a bill that outlaws any attempts to change the sexual orientation of homosexuals.
According to the new Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression Act, anyone found guilty of trying to “change, repress or eliminate a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression” could be fined or even get jailed, reports the Guardian.
If practising medical professionals prescribe “gay cure” therapies, they could be slapped with fines of up to £8510 and a jail term of up to a year. The new law also states that “no sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression constitutes a disorder, disease or shortcoming of any sort” and has lowered the age at which individuals can opt for a gender change without parental approval to 16.
