The SNP spent £227,386 of Scottish taxpayers’ money on a ‘conversion therapy’ helpline run by LGBT Health and Wellbeing – a charity already under fire for teaching biological men to breastfeed – which received just four calls in three months. The Christian Institute, which uncovered the figures via Freedom of Information laws, warns the charity’s own guidance would redefine ordinary parenting as ‘conversion therapy’. The Sunday Times has the story:
Scottish ministers gave almost £230,000 of taxpayer money to a charity to run a “conversion therapy” helpline that received only four calls in three months.
LGBT Health and Wellbeing, which has been criticised for running a ‘Queer Milk’ group that helps men who identify as women to breastfeed babies, has been given a number of Scottish government grants to run the phone service over the past two years. Overall the government has spent £227,386 on the service since 2024, and councils have spent £86,537.
Advocates say the helpline is for those “going through conversion practices”, those who may have experienced them before and those who are “worried it could happen”. According to the group, “conversion practices are harmful methods that try to change or suppress your sexual orientation or gender identity”.
However, between October and December last year the helpline was contacted only four times. It is not known whether each call was from the same person.
Asked for more detail by the Christian Institute, which obtained the figures under Freedom of Information laws, the Government was unable to provide data for the previous nine months.
LGBT Health and Wellbeing, which was set up in 2003, faces growing scrutiny over its use of public money. The Times recently reported that the charity, which received a total of £744,000 of public funding in 2024–25, runs sessions teaching biological men identifying as women how to breastfeed babies.
There has been controversy over the SNP’s commitment to a conversion therapy ban. Although supporters believed the proposals would help to protect LGBT people from discrimination, some organisations raised concerns that parents, teachers and religious leaders could be sent to prison for asking whether a child should have medical interventions to change their gender.
The Christian Institute said guidance from LGBT Health and Wellbeing suggested that ordinary parental conversations about a child’s gender could amount to “conversion therapy”. Highlighting one example, it said the guidance depicted a parent telling a child: “You are too young, you’re confused, we need to get you help.”
Joanna Timm, of the institute, said: “These figures expose an extraordinary misuse of public money, Scottish taxpayers have funded what may well be Scotland’s most expensive helpline.
“Existing criminal law already deals with abusive and coercive behaviour. The kind of law LGBT Health and Wellbeing are demanding would redefine ordinary parenting, pastoral care and prayer as conversion therapy.
“Taxpayers should not be forced to bankroll an organisation that promotes controversial gender ideology while campaigning for a law that could criminalise ordinary conversations between parents and children, or ministers and members of their congregations.”
Worth reading in full.
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Political and policy priorities anyone?
Large sums of money are available for those who are prepared to do the paperwork that ticks every required civil service box. The civil servants can then report they have supported the approved causes, and government that it has spent money according to its priorities. Whether HS2 or this charity, same story.
Statistics show that if they aren’t encourage to believe they’re trans a lot of young people who go through a phase of questioning their gender identity mature into happy same sex attracted adults.
This means that affirming beliefs that they may be trans is conversion therapy i.e. young people are being converted away from being gay or lesbian and it’s definitely trying to change and suppress their sexual orientation.
LGBT Health and Wellbeing, which has been criticised for running a ‘Queer Milk’ group that helps men who identify as women to breastfeed babies
I’ve spent the day reading about Cambridge “University” and it’s moral and intellectual collapse, and I turned to Daily Sceptic for a bit of light relief. Instead I find a story that I simply don’t understand. How do men breastfeed babies? Do they get fake tits with baby bottles inside? And do they – the fake tits – come with taps? And why is the world going mad?
These man are stuffed full of hormones and other medications in order to allow them to “breastfeed”. I feel desperately sorry for the poor babies who are brought into such a warped situation.
*men*
Charities should not be getting taxpayers’ money.
Absolutely, 100% correct. I couldn’t agree more.
Politicians should not use money that isn’t theirs to fund charities whose aims taxpayers may not agree with. What one person thinks of as a worthy cause is another person’s waste of money.
This should be written into law and, in my opinion, includes foreign aid that isn’t in response to urgent need, disaster, or humanitarian emergency.