Church of England Condemns Gay Conversion Therapy, Welcomes Trans People

At the General Synod annual meeting in York this past weekend, the Church of England made two historic votes in favor of the LGBTQ community. First, they ruled to publically condemn gay conversion therapy. Second, special services will now be incorporated into the pastoral schedule welcoming transgender people into the Anglican faith.

According to Paper, the Church explained that conversion therapy has "no place in the modern world" as they voted to publically condemn the archaic practice. The Church ruled against the torturous procedure in a vote of 298 to 74.

The Guardianreports that in proposing to welcome trans people into the community, Reverend Chris Newlands said, "I hope that we can make a powerful statement to say that we believe that trans people are cherished and loved by God, who created them, and is present through all the twists and turns of their lives." The new trans services measure, meanwhile, passed in a 284 to 78 vote.

While it would be great if there had been no votes at all to continue discriminatory, harmful practices, this is a major step toward equality for an institution so often perceived to be highly homophobic. In regards to accepting gay marriage, the Church reportedly was unable to offer any further thoughts until 2020.