Principled Christians here in the United States are better protected for now, as we saw in the hopeful precedent set by SCOTUS’s ruling in favor of therapist Kaley Chiles. In Colorado, an attempted ban on so-called “conversion practices” was struck down as an infringement on Chiles’ freedom of speech. Like Pilkington, Chiles used talk therapy with willing patients and could not in good faith be accused of harassing or coercing anyone. But without a Bill of Rights and a court willing to enforce it, her English counterparts are vulnerable to the whims of an authoritarian state.

The U.K. government has just published a draft bill, long in the making, that pitches itself as legislation protecting LGBTQ individuals from “abuse,” but is really designed to persecute conservative Christians. It would make “conversion practices”—defined as any attempt to steer someone away from a gay or transgender identity—a criminal offense, putting concerned parents and clergy in the crosshairs. A conviction could bring penalties of up to five years in prison and unlimited fines.

Concerned critics are naturally being assured that no one’s legitimate freedoms of expression or religion are in any danger. Introducing the bill, Minister for Equalities Olivia Bailey painted a dramatic picture of young “LGBT” people being beaten or sexually assaulted, or under threat of assault or murder from their families. (As an underdiscussed side note, such stories are far more likely to be a product of the United Kingdom’s unchecked immigration from Muslim countries than homegrown Christian “fundamentalism.”) Of course, the United Kingdom already has a variety of laws against assault, harassment, false imprisonment, and other straightforward abuses. So what gap is this law supposed to fill?

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