The government has committed to bring forward legislation to ban conversion therapy for a second consecutive year.

During the Queen's Speech, Prince Charles read the government's intention to stop "abhorrent practices which do not work and cause extensive harm" and protect people's freedom to love whom they want. 

Although Theresa May first outlined plans to ban conversion therapy in 2018, it was only last year that the government committed to bring forward legislation to ban the practice.

However, the bill has been postponed several times due to a series of U-turns by the government. The latest being a leaked document by ITV revealing the government's intention to drop the legislation altogether. 

But after intense backlash from MPs and LGBT leaders, the government backtracked and said the Bill was going to be included in this year's Queen's speech but it will only ban "gay conversion therapy, not trans". 

The government has now confirmed the exclusion of transgender people from the conversion therapy ban but said it "will carry out separate work to consider the issue of Transgender Conversion Therapy further."

It means the legislation will outlaw practices which seek to change someone's sexuality but not those which seek to change people's sexual identity.

"Whilst I'm naturally relieved to see that the government are still committed to banning "conversion therapy", it is of great concern that they are creating so many loopholes and leaving so many people unprotected," Jayne Ozanne, chair of the Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition said on Twitter. 

"The government's own research shows that trans people are twice as likely to be offered "conversion therapy" and it is an utter disgrace that they have purposefully omitted them from the ban," she added. 

But for those Christian leaders who have been campaigning against the conversion therapy ban, worried because of potential criminalisation of prayer or traditional Christian views, the legislation could turn into an "LGBT blasphemy law, criminalising the mere expression of opinions."

Simon Calvert, spokesperson for the Let Us Pray campaign, said: "The Government says it wants to protect religious freedoms in the legislation but many of those calling for the ban simply do not agree with them. They want the ban to be a new speech crime - a kind of LGBT blasphemy law - to criminalise those who express the 'wrong' opinions."

"By pushing forward with a ban the Government risks handing these activists a veto on the ordinary, innocent, everyday practices of churches," he concluded. 

A government spokesperson said: "The government has a proud record on LGBT rights, and the government is committed to bringing forward legislation to ban conversion therapy.

"Recognising the complexity of issues and need for further careful thought, we will carry out separate work to consider the issue of transgender conversion therapy further.

"This is a legally complex area and we have a responsibility to ensure unintended consequences are not written into legislation, particularly in the case of under 18s."