THE Green Party has criticised the government for failing to keep its promise to ban conversion practices.

Tuesday marked the anniversary of the World Health Organisation's 1990 decision to remove homosexuality from the Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.

It is marked as an International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

Brighton and Hove City Council leader Phelim Mac Cafferty said the day was an important reminder that LGBTQ people "continue to face violence and prejudice" in the UK and abroad.

"All the local figures tell us that hate crimes against LGBT people are on the rise," he said.

"In response, the council has funded third party reporting centres at The Ledward Centre and Montague House, to start on June 1. These will be supported by the Safer Communities Team to provide community led, confidential support and third-party reporting centres for people to report hate crime and hate incidents.

"Prejudice against the LGBT community persists with four in ten British people seeing gay sex as unnatural. This homophobic view is legitimised in government with the Home Secretary and a third of the cabinet voting against equal marriage.

"Last week, the Conservative government broke its promise to ban conversion therapy for everyone by excluding trans people. It is clear that discrimination against LGBTIQA+ people continues, depriving members of our community of that most basic of rights - control over our own bodies."

Conversion therapy is an attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation in certain scenarios Cllr Mac Cafferty said: "We will keep pushing for a complete ban on conversion therapy for our trans community too. Further to our call just a few weeks ago for a gender identity clinic, we celebrated the great news that the local NHS will open a gender identity clinic in Sussex by the end of the year."

Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, said she was proud Brighton and Hove was "one of the most progressive cities in the world, leading the way on equality and human rights".

But she added: "Homophobic and transphobic attacks still take place in our city as they do around the world and just a week after the government breaks its promise on banning conversion therapy for everyone, with loopholes of consent and excluding trans people from the plans, it's clear that discrimination against LGBTIQA+ people continues.

"Today, I stand in solidarity with all those working to challenge discrimination and pledge to continue doing all I can to bring about an end to hate crime, and make our city safe for everyone."