Celebrities accuse Rishi Sunak of ‘callous disregard’ over conversion therapy ban delay
Celebrities have accused Rishi Sunak of showing “callous disregard” for delaying a ban on conversion therapy.
A letter, signed by stars including presenter Rylan Clark and Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall, said the prime minister was “letting down survivors and victims of abuse across this country” by not committing to bringing in legislation on the issue.
Co-ordinated by LGBT+ campaigning charity Stonewall, the letter is also signed by actors Alan Cumming and Russell Tovey.
Conversion therapy is a process which tries to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. It can include talking therapies and prayer, however more extreme methods such as exorcism, physical violence and food deprivation are also used.
The letter says the government has a “last chance” to keep its promise to ban conversion therapy, which seeks to change or suppress someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Stonewall letter, addressed to Mr Sunak, states: “By letting the clock run out, you are showing callous disregard for the harm faced by LGBTQ+ people.
“You are giving the green light for abusers to continue unhindered. You are letting down survivors and victims of abuse across this country.”
The letter also referenced a rise in hate crimes. According to the Home Office, in the year ending March 2023, police-recorded transgender hate crimes in England and Wales rose by 11%, to 4,732 offences.
The Stonewall letter says: “LGBTQ+ people deserve a government with the will to protect them from harm.
“This is the last chance for your government to keep one promise to our country’s LGBTQ+ constituents.
“Please do the right thing and legislate for a complete ban on these horrific and life-altering practices.”
The Stonewall letter, signed by several stars, was addressed to the prime minister
Former prime minister Theresa May first promised to ban conversion practices in July 2018.
In March last year, then-PM Boris Johnson dropped plans for legislation, and later defended a decision not to include transgender people in a prospective ban by saying there were “complexities and sensitivities” to be worked through.
In January, the government said it would ban conversion therapy for “everyone”, including transgender people.
Labour has also said it would introduce a “no loopholes” trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy if elected.
Stuart Andrew, equalities minister, apologised last week for the delay on banning the practice, but did not commit to it being included in the King’s Speech on 7 November.
When asked about the letter, the government described conversion therapy as “abhorrent” and said it was still “carefully considering this very complex issue”.
Last month, the Equality and Human Rights Commission wrote to women and equalities minister Kemi Badenoch, insisting legislation to ban conversion therapy “is needed” and said it hoped it would be in the King’s Speech.
A government spokesperson said: “No-one in this country should be harmed or harassed for who they are and attempts at so-called ‘conversion therapy’ are abhorrent. That is why we are carefully considering this very complex issue.”
Angelina Jolie says although she appreciates being an artist, she would prefer for her legacy to be “a good mother” and to be known for her “belief in equality and human rights”.
The Oscar-winning actress stars as Maria Callas in the new Pablo Larrain film about the opera singer’s life.
Pic: StudioCanal
She has called Maria “the hardest” and “most challenging” role she has had in her career and put months of preparation into immersing herself into the world of opera.
Jolie, who recently reached a divorce settlement with actor Brad Pitt, told Sky News: “To be very candid, it was the therapy I didn’t realise I needed. I had no idea how much I was holding in and not letting out.
“So, the challenge wasn’t the technical [side of opera], it was an emotional experience to find my voice, to be in my body, to express. You have to give every single part of yourself.”
The biopic combines the voice of the Maleficent actress with recordings of Maria Callas.
Jolie believes it “would be a crime to not have [Callas’] voice through this because, in many ways, she is very present in this film”.
Who was Maria Callas?
Born in New York in 1923, Maria Callas was the daughter of Greek immigrants who moved back to Athens at the age of 13 with her mother and sister.
After enrolling at the Athens Conservatory, she made her professional debut at 17 and went on to become one of the most famous faces of opera, travelling around the world and performing at Covent Garden in London, The Met in New York and La Scala in Milan.
Callas’s final operatic performance took place at Covent Garden in 1965 when she was 41 but she continued to work conducting master classes at Juilliard School, doing concert tours and starring in the 1969 film Medea.
Written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, Maria focuses on the artist’s final years in the 1970s when she moved to Paris and disappeared from public view.
She died on 16 September 1977 at the age of 53.
Pic: StudioCanal
Jolie on changing motivations as an actor
Maria follows the life of an artist fully consumed by the art she creates and even remarks that “happiness never developed a beautiful melody”.
Reflecting on her own life in the spotlight, Jolie said she noticed her own career motivations change over the years.
“There’s this kind of study of being human that we do when we create, and we communicate with an audience because our work is not in isolation – it’s a connection.
“I think when I was younger, I had different questions about being human and different feelings and now as I’ve gotten older, I understand some things and now I have different questions.
“It’s a matter of life, right? And so maybe that’s interesting that this now is a character really contemplating death and really contemplating the toll of certain things in life that I, of course, couldn’t have understood in my 20s”.
Jolie at the New York Film Festival in September with three of her children (L-R) Pax, Zahara and Maddox. Pic: AP
A family affair
Two of Jolie’s children, Maddox and Pax, took on production assistant roles during the filming of Maria and witnessed their mother perform opera for the first time in public.
She says the film allowed them to create new experiences together and for her children to see her approach to playing a difficult role.
“Everyone in my home, we all give each other space to be who we are and we’re all different.
“I’m the mom, but I’m also an artist and a person and so my family has been very kind and gives me their understanding. They make fun of me, and they support me and just as you’d hope it would be.”
She adds: “When you play somebody who is dealing with so much pain, it’s very important to come home to some kindness.”
Maria is in cinemas now.
Tom Holland’s dad has confirmed his son’s engagement to Zendaya – revealing how the 28-year-old meticulously planned the proposal.
Zendaya, also 28, sparked engagement rumours when she attended last Sunday’s Golden Globes wearing a sparkling diamond on her ring finger.
Neither star has publicly addressed the rumours but Tom’s comedian father, Dominic Holland, has now confirmed the pair are set to wed.
He wrote in a post on his Patreon account: “Tom, as you know by now was very incredibly well prepared. He had purchased a ring.
“He had spoken with her father and gained permission to propose to his daughter.”
“Tom had everything planned out… When, where, how, what to say, what to wear,” he added.
Zendaya arrived at the Golden Globes with a noticeable piece of new jewellery. Pic: Invision/AP
Dominic also noted that while most men worry about being able to afford an engagement ring, he suspects his actor son was “more concerned with the stone, its size and clarity, its housing, which jeweller”.
Tom and Zendaya met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016, when they played the titular hero and his love interest MJ, respectively. Their romance was confirmed in 2021.
In his post, Tom’s father admitted fears over whether being in the spotlight could put a strain on the couple’s relationship.
He wrote: “I do fret that their combined stardom will amplify their spotlight and the commensurate demands on them and yet they continually confound me by handling everything with aplomb.”
“And even though show business is a messy place for relationships and particularly so for famous couples as they crash and burn in public and are too numerous to mention […] yet somehow right at the same time, I am completely confident they will make a successful union.”
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Zendaya rose to fame after landing a role in Disney sitcom Shake It Up, and became a household name after starring in Euphoria.
Holland – who has starred in three Spider-Man films opposite his now-fiancée – made his stage debut in Billy Elliot the Musical in 2008.
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