The bullet has been decided: homogenization will become a criminal offense in the Netherlands. The Senate agreed on Tuesday to a ban on so-called conversion treatments that could ‘cure’ LGBTQ+ people of their orientation or gender identity. The question arises what this means in practice. Does this also ban the practices of faith healers such as Tom de Wal?
The bill is now almost four years old, but now the time has come: the law on criminalizing conversion acts has been approved. In September 2025, the proposal, after some adjustments, passed the House of Representatives and on Tuesday also the Senate. In a roll call vote, 57 senators voted in favor and 15 against the bill.
‘Pray the gay away’
Only the intrusive or systematic suppression or change of someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity becomes a punishable offense. People who make the mistake risk hefty fines or two years in prison. Conversations about orientation that religious leaders or youth workers occasionally have with someone are not punishable. Parents who ask their child questions about sexual feelings are also not doing anything punishable.
Frank Bosman, cultural theologian at Tilburg University, thinks that the law is difficult to enforce in practice. According to him, it is not so black and white. “There is a complicated line between praying that God will let you be who God says you can be, which often includes an implicit heterosexual idea. And an active prayer campaign to help someone get rid of a ‘sinful’ sexuality.”Pray the gay away‘, literal. There’s a big difference.”
Systematically
Now that the law has been passed, it is ultimately up to a judge on a case-by-case basis to assess whether something is conversion treatment. “When is something homogeneous? Let’s define that,” says Bosman.
Then the question also arises as to when something is systematic. “Is this the case if people pray every week to be healed of homosexual tendencies?” Bosman wonders.
What does Tom de Wal say about homogeneity?
Faith healer Tom de Wal says he does not practice homogenous healing and never prays for it. Yet this was previously a reason for LGBTQ+ interest groups to put a stop to his meetings in Eindhoven and Tilburg.
In preparation videos that visitors must watch prior to a deliverance service, De Wal speaks about ‘demons’ from which he could ‘liberate’ you in the name of God. One of those demons is sexual impurity, and according to De Wal this also includes homosexuality.
Wording
In addition to the difficult definition, freedom of religion also plays a role. “I wonder whether you can use this article of law against faith healing in a religious context, such as with Tom de Wal and other faith healers. I don’t know whether that will hold up in court.”
The way in which faith healers work also makes it difficult, according to Bosman. “A faith healer will not say, ‘I am going to cure him or her of homosexual tendencies.’ This is often done in an implicit way, with terms such as ‘praying away impurities’, ‘removing demons’, ‘living a chaste life’ or other similar formulations.”
Signal
Yet Bosman is also positive about the new law. “In any case, it is a signal to society: someone with a homosexual preference can lead their own life in freedom and peace. That is very important.”
Bosman thinks that the law can certainly help to stop conversion therapy. “If someone hangs a sign on the door saying ‘psychologist and conversion therapist’, then action can probably be taken against that. But we are not talking about faith healing a la Tom deWal. That will be difficult.”
In the podcast Op Hoop van Zegen, journalists from Omroep Brabant delve into Tom de Wal’s religious organization, Frontrunners Ministries. Listen here:
