Utah Set To Become 19th State Banning Conversion Therapy Rick Bowmer / AP Photo
In this Jan. 3, 2018, photo, the angel Moroni statue, silhouetted against the sky, sits atop the Salt Lake Temple at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. (Rick Bowmer / AP Photo)
By AP Reports
Published November 27, 2019 at 10:07am
Utah is set to become the 19th state to ban conversion therapy in January after state officials came up with a proposal that has the support of the influential Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Republican Gov. Gary Herbert announced Tuesday night that church leaders support a regulatory rule his office helped craft after legislative efforts for a ban on the therapy failed earlier this year.
The faith known widely as the Mormon church opposed a previous version of the rule because it wanted assurances that church leaders and members who are therapists would be allowed to provide spiritual counseling for parishioners or families.
The faith opposes gay marriage and maintains the biblical truth that intimate same-sex relationships are a sin. The religion has stuck its guns while urging members to be kind and compassionate to LGBTQ people.
Conversion therapy is a practice used to try to change peoples’ sexual orientation or gender identity.
The rule would ban Utah therapists from subjecting LGBTQ minors to the practice that the American Psychological Association has said is not based in science and can be harmful to mental health.
The Utah rule proposal is set to go to a 30-day public comment period beginning Dec. 15 and take effect as soon as Jan. 22, Herbert said.
Church government affairs director Marty Stephens reiterated in the governor’s news release that the faith denounces conversion therapy and wants a ban. He said in an interview with The Associated Press last month that the faith doesn’t ascribe to “pray the gay away” thinking but that prayer and religious teachings can be helpful to people trying to navigate life’s challenges.
The religion holds tremendous influence in Utah, where the majority of state lawmakers and nearly two-thirds of the state’s 3.1 million residents are members of the faith.
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Poster Comment:
It's like Stallone said, "I'm no queer. He blew ME.
I have a crazy Mormon neighbor too. She had the proselytizers stop by here and I listened politely. But I cannot afford to give anything in the collection plate at the church. So why should they expect me to let them have 10% of what little I make now.