A new law was passed criminalizing the use of “conversion therapy” to attempt to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTQIA people. Anyone convicted under the new law could face fines of up to €30,000 (£25,000) and two years in jail.
The measure – passed unanimously by the National Assembly, 142 votes to 0 – will take force in the next 14 days once signed off by President Emmanuel Macron. Macron already praised the move, tweeting that “being oneself is not a crime”.
Laurence Vanceunebrock, an MP with President Macron’s ruling En Marche party, sponsored the bill through the assembly. He said that the law gave “a strong signal because we are formally condemning all those who consider a change of sex or identity as an illness.”
Punishments could also increase to three years imprisonment and additional fines of up to €45,000 (£37,000) if the practice is targeted at a minor or an adult considered to be vulnerable under the act.
This development comes as France marks 40 years since the decriminalization of homosexuality.
Other countries already have a similar legislation, including Canada, Brazil, Ecuador, Malta, Albania and Germany.
