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12 Jul, 6 tweets, 2 min read
"By the time I came out of there, I weighed only 40kgs, could not speak well and only walked when supported."

We spoke to more than 50 survivors of anti-LGBT ‘#ConversionTherapy’ on a special investigation into these activities across East Africa.

~thread
Many of the interviewees said that family members had taken them to providers of this ‘therapy’.

LGBT identities are widely stigmatised in East Africa, and anal sex is criminalised and punishable with prison sentences in each of the three countries
opendemocracy.net/en/5050/conver…
Our undercover reporter was told that being gay is “evil”, something “for whites” and a mental health problem
Survivors described lasting effects on their mental health, family relations and general well-being.

Some said they dropped out of school and lost friends, in addition to enduring painful ‘treatment’
"Conversion therapy is capable of driving one to the point of actual complete insanity. I would know, I ran mad. It's almost like murder, you bring to death a life"
Read their stories and watch the videos here ⬇️
opendemocracy.net/en/5050/conver…

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More from @openDemocracy

openDemocracy Profile picture
8 Jun
WE WON! 🙌

This is a significant legal victory against the UK government.

The judgement forces transparency on a secretive unit accused of ‘blacklisting’ Freedom of Information requests from journalists, campaigners and others.

~thread
After a three-year battle, the judge found that the documents the Cabinet Office presented in court about the controversial Clearing House unit were ‘misleading’.

He added that there is a “profound lack of transparency about the operation”, which might “extend to ministers”
We previously revealed that the Clearing House has blocked the release of politically sensitive information, in one instance comparing the handling of an FOI request to the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war
opendemocracy.net/en/freedom-of-…
Read 6 tweets
openDemocracy Profile picture
8 Jun
🚨 BREAKING: The #NHSDataGrab has been paused!

Thank you to @Foxglovelegal, to our coalition partners (@TheDA_UK, @DavidDavisMP, @justtreatment and @allthecitizens) and to the over 18,000 people who signed our petition. 🙏

But this is a pause, not a stop.

~ thread
The implementation has been pushed back to 1 September.

However, the Government's plan to take the data of every GP patient in England remains the same.

If you aren't satisfied with what's happening to your health records, you can still opt out: medconfidential.org/how-to-opt-out/
We still have questions:

🔹 How will patients be notified, including people who aren't online?

🔹 On what terms will corporations be allowed to access people's health data?

But the first battle is won. 💪

If you signed our petition, we will update you via email ✉️
Read 5 tweets
openDemocracy Profile picture
8 Jun
Tory rebels are not the only ones calling for a vote on plans to cut Britain’s international aid budget.

More than 10,000 people have signed our petition to allow MPs to vote on this move 👇
opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocra…
A total of 30 Tory MPs, led by Andrew Mitchell MP, have supported an amendment to reverse the cuts.

During one of our live discussions, Mr Mitchell said the government believed reducing #ForeignAid would “go down well” with voters in the ‘Red Wall’ seats
The scale of the cuts was exclusively revealed by @PeterKGeoghegan earlier this year.

Spending in some of the poorest countries would be cut by as much as 88%
opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocra…
Read 6 tweets
openDemocracy Profile picture
4 Jun
🔴 We are joining forces with @Foxglovelegal to issue an urgent legal challenge over the government's plans to seize our GP data on 1 July.

We need your help to stop them: opendemocracy.net/en/ournhs/peti…

~ thread
Matt Hancock wants to take the patient records of everyone in England, and enter them all into one massive database.

He wants to make this data available to "third parties" – including private companies
opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocra…
This would mean incredibly sensitive data about all of us who use the NHS – including sexual and mental health – being pooled and shared.

The Health Secretary announced this plan quietly, via a single website, and set a deadline of 23 June for us to opt out
Read 7 tweets
openDemocracy Profile picture
3 Jun
🔴 Boris Johnson faces being defeated by a Conservative Party rebellion with 30 Tory MPs, including former PM Theresa May, having signed an amendment to reverse savage cuts to Britain’s international aid budget.

~thread
opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocra…
The number of rebels doubled overnight, with May joining one-time ministers Stephen Crabb and Johnny Mercer in adding her name to a rebel Tory amendment aiming to restore British foreign aid spending to 0.7% of national income
“The rebels are pretty confident they have the votes.”

A source told us that the government could be set to reverse the foreign cuts rather than risk the prospect of a Commons defeat on Monday
Read 10 tweets
openDemocracy Profile picture
3 Jun
Every day, women are given false and misleading information about their health and rights.

How do misinformation peddlers get away with it? And what can be done to stop them?

The @5050oD team are on their tail 🔍

#TrackingTheBacklash
Earlier this year, they discovered doctors in at least a dozen countries, supported by US Christian Right activists, are providing women with a “dangerous” and controversial treatment that claims to 'reverse' medical abortions
opendemocracy.net/en/5050/reveal…
A doctor in the UK is under investigation following their story.

The General Medical Council placed “interim conditions” on the practitioner at a hearing in May. It is investigating whether further action should be taken
opendemocracy.net/en/5050/uk-reg…
Read 4 tweets

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