The PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) has submitted a proposal to the Spanish Congress that seeks to reform the Penal Code with the aim of criminalizing 'conversion therapies'—practices that attempt to modify, suppress, or deny an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

The proposed Organic Law was registered this week, with the intent to provide legal grounding for this measure.

Victor Gutierrez, the LGTBI secretary of the PSOE and a member of the Spanish Parliament, described these practices as 'a form of torture and unacceptable violence in our democracy.' He emphasized that the PSOE is committed to criminalizing these therapies, noting that their party was the only one to include such a measure in its electoral program.

The draft law proposes prison sentences ranging from six months to two years for individuals who undertake 'acts, methods, programs, techniques, or procedures of aversion or conversion, whether psychological, physical, pharmacological, or of any other nature, aimed at modifying, repressing, eliminating, or denying' a person's sexual orientation, sexual identity, or gender expression.

The proposal further stipulates that penalties will be aggravated under certain circumstances, such as when the victim is a minor, when violence or a position of superiority is used, when the perpetrator belongs to an organization or association, or when the act is performed for profit.

Additionally, in all cases, the law would impose a special disqualification penalty for professions or jobs pertaining to education, sports, and leisure, ranging from three to five years beyond the prison sentence.

In cases involving minors, this disqualification could extend to five years for any profession involving regular and direct contact with children.

If a legal entity is found responsible for these offenses, it would face fines between six months and two years, and possibly dissolution, suspension of its activities, or closure of its premises for a specified period.

This could also include disqualification from receiving public funds and grants.

Gutierrez described the initiative as significant, highlighting that the criminalization of conversion therapies marks a pivotal development in Spanish law.

He underscored the context of rising attacks on LGTBI rights both globally and within Spain itself.

He referred to recent statements from regional politicians, including Carlos Mazón, president of the Community of Valencia, who he argues has enabled the potential for such practices against transgender individuals, as well as criticism aimed at Isabel Díaz Ayuso for her stance on LGTBI rights in the Community of Madrid.