So-called conversion therapy made illegal in France, and penalties include jail time for practitioners

Paris — France has a new law that bans so-called conversion therapies and authorizes jail time and fines for practitioners who use the scientifically discredited practice to attempt to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTQ people. Lawmaker Laurence Vanceunebrock, who helped steer the law's passage through parliament, said it will target "all those who equated an identity or a sexual orientation with sickness."   "There is nothing to cure," she told the National Assembly.The French government's equalities and diversity minster, Elisabeth Moreno, described so-called conversion therapies as "barbaric" and told lawmakers that the suffering they inflict "very often leaves permanent marks on bodies and minds."   Under the new law, sustained efforts "that aim to modify or reprimand sexual orientation or gender identity" and which impact the physical or mental health of victims are punishable by up to two years in jail and 30,000 euros ($34,000) in fines.