• Campaigners are urging the government to act now on a two-year-old promise to make the practice illegal.
• All major UK therapy professional bodies and the NHS oppose it on logical, ethical and moral grounds.
Instagram will block the promotion of "conversion therapy", which tries to change a person's sexuality or gender identity, the social media giant has told the BBC.
Campaigners are urging the government to act now on a two-year-old promise to make the practice illegal.
This year, 200,000 people have signed an online petition calling for action.
All major UK therapy professional bodies and the NHS oppose it on logical, ethical and moral grounds.
Luke, 23, is gay and a youth worker who was raised in a strict Christian family in north-west England.
"In school I had quite a feminine voice, and feminine behaviour, and I was bullied because of it," he told the BBC.
"I guess my dad knew the potential gay signs before I did, because he would force me to do stereotypically boyish things, which I hated. He knew I hated sports, but he didn't care, as long as his boy seemed less gay."
'I thanked them for torturing me'
At 13, Luke's dad saw his internet search history on the family computer, which included forums for gay teens and gay pornography.
"When my dad scrolled through, he was physically sick. He took me to my youth pastor's house. I had been attending his church since birth, and he had always been so nice to me, which probably made this worse, because I completely trusted him."
Luke says he was made to feel dirty and disgusting for liking boys. His deeply religious family was determined to use him as an example for his wider community.
"Over a couple of years, my family and the church team totally damaged me. Beatings, exorcisms, fasting, online courses, everything."
"They told me I was born straight but I had been damaged by my parents divorcing. They would put their hands on my head and tell me how evil I am. They would ask me to describe how I felt when I saw a guy I fancied on TV. I said I felt excited but a bit naughty, and they'd say that they were feelings from the Devil."
"The worst thing is, I was grateful for their torture. My only goal was to be straight like everyone else in the world. I would say thank you to them after they abused me."
The term "conversion therapy" refers to any form of treatment or psychotherapy which aims to change a person's sexual orientation or to suppress a person's gender identity.
While some violent practices which may be classed as conversion therapy, such as "corrective rape", are already covered by existing criminal offences, many religious practices, such as those experienced by Luke, are not.
Puberty eventually made Luke's voice lower and he became more reserved, but inside, he still "felt gay".
After attempting to take his life, another of Luke's pastors encouraged a more lenient approach. Luke was told that "gay temptation" is not in his control, but "gay behaviour" is, so as long as he didn't act on his urges, he could "live a normal life".
Luke eventually fled to London. He has never returned to his hometown, but his family has since apologised over Facebook.
Crying, Luke said that speaking to the BBC about his experiences made him realise how awful his teenage years were.