The conversion therapy row

<p>This week the government said it would ban so-called conversion therapy for gay or bisexual people in England and Wales, but not for transgender people. The policy followed two U-turns in the space of an evening.</p><p>It's a sensitive and controversial issue which was the subject of a special investigation on this podcast last August, by the journalist Emily Sargent. So today we're revisiting the first part of Thinking Straight.</p><p><em>This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at:&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/subscribe/digital/?utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_medium=audio&amp;utm_campaign=podcastsubs&amp;utm_content=storiesofourtimes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes</em></a><em>.</em></p><p><strong>The full Thinking Straight series:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://pod.fo/e/de540" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Part 1: Conversion</a></li><li><a href="https://pod.fo/e/dfca8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Part 2: Undercover</a></li><li><a href="https://pod.fo/e/e13fe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Part 3: Surviving</a></li><li><a href="https://pod.fo/e/e3131" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Part 4: Undercover again</a></li><li><a href="https://pod.fo/e/e5720" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Part 5: Faith and queerness</a></li><li><a href="https://pod.fo/e/e647e" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Part 6: Conversion and transitioning</a></li><li><a href="https://pod.fo/e/e8178" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Part 7: The ban</a></li></ul><p><strong>Getting help</strong></p><p>If you, or someone you know, has been affected by the issues raised in this episode, the following organisations can help:</p><p>Switchboard&nbsp;provides an information, support and referral service for anyone who needs to consider issues around their sexuality.</p><p>Phone: 0300 330 0630 (10am-10pm).</p><p>S