More than 370 figures from the world’s major religions have signed the declaration, which also calls for an end to violence against and criminalization of LGBT + people, according to a press release issued on Wednesday.
The statement marks the launch of the World Interfaith Commission on LGBT + Lives, supported by key figures from 35 countries, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former Chief Rabbi of Ireland David Rosen and former Irish President Mary McAleese.
So-called conversion therapies, also known as reparative treatments, are based on the assumption that sexual orientation can be changed or “cured,” an idea discredited by major medical associations in the United Kingdom, the United States, and elsewhere.
However, they remain legal in many countries, including the United Kingdom, despite the country’s current government having pledged to end the practice.
In July 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he would accelerate these plans and the UK Office for Development, Commonwealth and Development funded an online conference that would mark the launch of the commission on Wednesday.
Jayne Ozanne, director of the World Interfaith Commission on LGBT + Lives, said the statement is a benchmark.
“We have never had such a powerful, clear and supportive statement from so many leaders,” Ozanne told CNN.
He called on politicians to act to ban conversion therapy.
“I don’t think any government can deafen the cries of the survivors,” he said, adding that people are still traumatized while politicians are spoiled.
“We need to act with some urgency,” Ozanne said.
Activists also posted a video of the statement, which featured senior religious leaders such as right-wing Reverend Paul Bayes, the bishop of Liverpool.
“For too long, religious teachings have been misused – and still are being misused – to cause deep pain and offend lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people,” Bayes said in a statement. press.
The commission “aims to provide a strong and empowered voice among those who want to affirm the sanctity of life and the dignity of all,” he added.
The statement apologizes for the harm some religious teachings have done to LGBT + people and calls for everyone to “celebrate the inclusion and extraordinary gift of our diversity.”
The Rev. Canon Mpho Tutu van Furth, daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah, was one of the speakers at Wednesday’s conference.
“There are many LGBT + people who suffer emotional wounds and physical violence to the death in countries around the world,” he said in the press release. “For this reason, we join forces as leaders of the faith to say that we are all beloved children of God.”
Malta, a small island nation in the Mediterranean with a population of just over 400,000, made history by implementing the national ban on conversion therapy in 2016.
And in May, the German parliament approved a ban on conversion therapies for minors and adults who have been forced, threatened or tricked into undergoing controversial treatment.
However, in April, the International Council for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture (IRCT) and the Group of Independent Forensic Experts (IFEG) said conversion therapies are still used in more than 69 countries. countries.
The organizations called for a global ban on the practice, which they classify as a form of torture.
In June, the United Nations independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, also called for a global ban on the practice.
CNN’s Rob Picheta contributed to this report.