The United Kingdom on Tuesday announced that it will ban the so-called gay conversion therapy as part of its 75-point plan to improve the lives of gay and transgender people, The Guardian reported. Prime Minister Theresa May said nobody should ever “have to hide who they are”.

The announcement came after a national survey of more than 1 lakh members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community suggested that 2% of them have undergone gay conversion therapy, while at least 5% admitted to having been offered it, BBC reported. More than two-thirds of LGBT people avoid holding hands in public for fear of negative reactions.

The government’s plan, costing £4.5 million (more than Rs 40 crore), includes appointing a national LGBT health adviser, proposals to improve diversity in education institutions in the country, improve police response to hate crimes, and tackle discrimination.

“I was struck by just how many respondents said they cannot be open about their sexual orientation or avoid holding hands with their partner in public for fear of a negative reaction,” May said. “No one should ever have to hide who they are or who they love. [The plan will] set out concrete steps to deliver real and lasting change across society.”

The “cure therapies” are based on the idea that being homosexual or transgender is a mental condition that can be reversed with counselling.