Filenews 25 May 2023
The organization Accept - LGTBI Cyprus welcomes the vote in favour of the draft law tabled by AKEL MP George Koukoumas, noting that the next target will be civil marriage, adoption and legal gender recognition.
The announcement in its entirety:
We did it!!! Pseudo-conversion therapies were criminalized for everyone!
Priests and the possible existence of "consent" are not excluded from criminalization!
Our organization fought hard for this success. For more than a year:
*We conducted research in collaboration with the Greek scientific body Orlando LGBT+ to identify the extent of conversion pseudotherapies in Cyprus.
*We collected testimonials
*We went to Parliament repeatedly to testify to these testimonies
We sent letters to the Archdiocese and dioceses, testifying
We spoke with the associations of psychologists, psychotherapists and the psychiatric association, asking them to take an official position condemning pseudoTM
We listened to the concern of the victims, we understood the danger of not including consent and priests in the law. We fought for it. We did not accept the amendment of the law, as was done in Greece
*We also took issue with the Church for the good of our community
This victory belongs to all of us! "IN SOLIDARITY WE TRIUMPH" reads this year's PRIDE motto, and that's what we proved these days!
We particularly thank MP Giorgos Koukoumas and AKEL for tabling the bill, as well as the MPs of all parties who did not accept loopholes in the law from the beginning. Thank you and all of you who stood by our side! We keep going strong!
Next objective: Civil Marriage/Adoption and Legal Gender Recognition
Note: the amendment to the Penal Code states the following: "any person who engages in a practice with the aim of changing, suppressing or eliminating the sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression of another person is guilty of an offence and, if convicted, shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding two (2) years or to a fine not exceeding five thousand euros (€5,000) or to both of these penalties."
