A new law has been passed by Icelandic parliament that bans conversion therapy practices on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
The bill was passed by a landslide majority, with 53 members of parliament voting yes and three abstaining from the vote.
Speaking to The Reykjavik Grapevine, Reform Party MP Hanna Katrín Friðriksson explained that that conversion practices are “based purely on ignorance and reactionary ideas” and have “no place in our society.”
Expert on LGBTQ+ issues in Iceland, Ugla Stefanía Kristjönudóttir Jónsdóttir, noted that the majority voting for the ban showed that, despite some transphobic attempts to kill it, the legislation was widely supported.
“The legislation had cross party support in parliament, despite attempts from known anti-trans hate groups under English influence to oppose it, and wrongfully claiming they managed to ‘kill the bill’,” commented Kristjönudóttir Jónsdóttir on Twitter.