Anglican, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and Sikh representatives have called for a ban on "conversion therapy", which aims to transform a person's sexual orientation.
Former South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Nelson Mandela's comrade in struggle, is among the signatories.
More than 300 clerics from 35 countries called on Wednesday to ban "conversion therapies" that claim to transform a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, often performed in the name of faith.
A joint statement was published by the British Ozanne Foundation at a conference in London.
Among its initial signatories are representatives of Anglicans, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and Sikhs in particular, including the former South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner and fellow struggle of Nelson Mandela.
"We ask that everything possible be done to end practices commonly known as 'conversion therapy' which aim to change, remove or erase a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. gender, and we call for these harmful practices to be banned, ”they say.
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Banned in only four countries
Conversion therapy, sometimes referred to as restorative therapy, is widely viewed as pseudo-scientific, ineffective, and dangerous by experts.
While the practice has been documented in the United States, where it has reportedly affected hundreds of thousands of people, it exists "almost everywhere," according to a report released last year by OutRight Action International, an advocacy organization. New York-based LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) people.
"Religion is the most frequently cited reason," notes this report, which specifies that in mid-2019, only four countries had banned these therapies: Brazil, Ecuador, Malta and Taiwan.
However, they are banned at the regional level in some countries and projects exist in others, such as France or Germany, to penalize them.