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.

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.

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The full Thinking Straight series:

• Part 1: Conversion
• Part 2: Undercover
• Part 3: Surviving
• Part 4: Undercover again
• Part 5: Faith and queerness
• Part 6: Conversion and transitioning
• Part 7: The ban

Getting help

If you, or someone you know, has been affected by the issues raised in this episode, the following organisations can help:

Switchboard provides an information, support and referral service for anyone who needs to consider issues around their sexuality.

Phone: 0300 330 0630 (10am-10pm).

Samaritans is available for anyone struggling to cope and provide a safe place to talk 24 hours a day.

Phone: 116 123

Guests: 

- Jayne Ozanne, director and founder, Ozanne Foundation; chair, Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition.

- Dr Qazi Rahman, senior lecturer, King's College London.

- Michael King, Emeritus Professor, University College London.

Host: Emily Sargent, journalist.

Clips: Times Radio, ITV News, Instagram: @xoutloudeuropeofficial, X-OUT-LOUD Europe, Core Issues Trust, BFI, BBC.

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