Saba's Mission

Reliving the journey of conversion therapy victims, even secondhand, is tough. You hear so many upsetting anecdotes about the most heinous human rights abuses that you begin to question where the humanity lies. The LGBT community is so full of love and hope, stripped away by constant suppression. 

Regardless, it felt like a story worth telling, and one that has progressed a great deal since launching the investigation in October. This afternoon I spoke to Saba Ali, a significant figure in the ban conversion therapy coalition. Not only is she advocating for the long-awaited draft bill, but also acts as safety and liaison officer for UK Black Pride. I asked about the mental toll it must take for her having to hear these terrible stories day-in, day-out. 

She said: “Activism takes a toll on you anyway, and for a lot of my work I have to deal with harrowing examples of abuse or sexual assault, so in that sense you kind of become accustomed to it. 

“You are speaking to someone else and you kind of know it as their story. Though you have compassion for them, you have to build your own support system and know where to stop. It would be very different if I worked on it 24/7, but my position is voluntary.

“If things get tough I step away for a few hours, or take the rest of the day, because balancing work and life is very important.”

Naturally my time as a journalist has exposed me to a range of challenging topics, but none have directed me to such a dark space as studying not only the after effects for the victims of our story, but the psychology of its villains: What goes through the mind of a practitioner who commits a hate crime just to get their way? A lot of them refused to speak to The Trans Cure? despite being very vocal in the general campaign, resulting in certain conclusions worth jumping to. These people do this because of long-standing perceptions of what is right and what is wrong, and they consider all trans people to fall into the latter camp. 

There are high expectations when telling the stories of people who were brave enough and trusting enough to let me tell their stories, and on 17th November I am expected to deliver. Big ask, but I like to think I thrive under pressure. 

Journalists take on a lot with every new story they cover: knowledge and emotion, because every story, no matter how big or small, means a lot to someone. This particular story impacts so many that it delivers the added pressure of getting it right. New information arises constantly: Saba told me about the intersectionality between racism and transphobia, something that perhaps should be obvious, but which media coverage often neglects to mention. 

“Quite often as marganalised people within marganalised groups, it is even more important for us to be heard. A lot of people say, ‘when I’m listening to you, I know I am not alone’. There is a lot of shame and stigma. Black communities often do not speak about it because they are so ashamed.”

Black communities are generally more prone to “honour” based abuse, which casts shame onto a person for not conforming with perceived norms. It opens a whole new debate to balance, and one which I need to incorporate into the story over the coming weeks.