The Icelandic Parliament in Reykjavík, Iceland. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)
REYKJAVÍK, Iceland | Lawmakers in Iceland approved a bill June 9 that will ban so-called conversion therapy in the country.
Media reports note 53 members of the Icelandic Parliament voted for the measure, while three MPs abstained. Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, an MP who is a member of the Liberal Reform Party, introduced the bill.
“This is a really important issue for all gay people and a step worth celebrating,” said Samtökin ’78, an Icelandic LGBTQ+ and intersex rights group, after the vote. “There is no cure for being gay and any attempt to do so is violence. It’s so good that the government recognizes it with legislation.”
Malta, Cyprus, Brazil and Ecuador are among the other countries that ban conversion therapy.
