The Evangelical practice of turning gay men and women straight or urging them to suppress their sexual orientation is harmful and should be banned, according to the head of the Malta Gay Rights Movement, Gabi Calleja.

Ms Calleja yesterday said the practice had been outlawed in several countries and she hoped Malta would follow suit, because this could have negative effects on those made to undergo such unorthodox therapies.

When contacted, a government spokesman said the Ministry for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties was already looking into different models of legislation that criminalised the so-called “conversion therapy”.

Ms Calleja was reacting to a report in The Sunday Times of Malta yesterday that a Texas preacher was in Malta to spread his belief that being gay was a mental illness.

El Paso Evangelist Tom Brown last weekend addressed a three-day conference at the River of Love church about his beliefs, which include widely contested notions that abstinence can cure homosexuality. His views sparked outrage among the local LGBT community, many of whose members took to social media to lambast River of Love in Żebbuġ, which hosted Mr Brown.

Hopefully, this preacher can return home with a message of love and happiness that our community is demonstrating

Ms Calleja said homophobia and heteronormativity (the belief that a heterosexual orientation is normal and others are not) were still common place in Malta.

“This means that, often, gay people experience difficulties in coming to terms with their sexual orientation. Most overcome this internalised homophobia and develop a healthy sense of identity,” she said. Ms Calleja’s concerns were more directed towards those whose internalised homophobia has never been resolved. These people, she said, were often vulnerable to religious movements such as River of Love.

Her concerns were shared by Toni Attard, a well-known artistic director and member of the gay community who went head-to-head with the River of Love’s leader, Pastor Gordon Manché, during an edition of Times Talk last year.

Mr Attard yesterday said Mr Brown’s views had highlighted the “delusional state” of the Evangelical organisation, which had failed to understand that Maltese society had catapulted itself into an outstanding track record on civil rights.

“Hopefully, this preacher can return home with a message of love and happiness that our inclusive community is demonstrating through the numerous civil unions celebrated every week in Malta,” he said.

Ms Calleja said the only long-term solution to rooting out such views was to ensure that children and young people grew up in a world where all sexual orientations were equally valued and respected.

The government spokesman said that the so-called “homo­sexual cures” were a form of fraud, because homosexuality was neither a choice nor an illness. He said the issue of criminalision had already been discussed within the LGBTIQ Consultative Council, which agreed that it should be one of the next Bills to protect LGBTIQ individuals – usually teenagers and young people – from professional or religious abuse.

“Following the tragic death of [American transgender] Leelah Alcorn who, last year, committed suicide after her parents subjected her to abusive treatment, a number of anti-conversion therapy Bills have been presented in different states and are expected to be adopted soon. Malta should follow suit,” the spokesman said.