Standard-Examiner Editorial Board

Gay conversion therapy should not still exist.

In fact, it doesn’t in 15 states and in the District of Columbia where the harmful and damaging practice is banned. This legislative session lawmakers have the opportunity to pass a bill proposing to ban conversion therapy for minors in Utah.

Gay conversion or reparative therapies have held a stronghold in Utah for decades.

According to reports by The UCLA School of Law Williams Institute, “an estimated 698,000 LGBT adults in the U.S. have received conversion therapy either from a licensed professional or a religious advisor at some point in their lives, including about 350,000 LGBT adults who received conversion therapy as adolescents.”

The American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and others oppose the treatment. APA has opposed conversion therapy since 1998 and expanded on its original position in 2013.

Reparative or conversion therapy is not effective, with no peer-reviewed research to confirm its success, and is based on the premise that homosexuality is a sin or a mental illness that can be cured, which is false.

It would be a much-needed milestone for not just the LGBTQ community but for all residents in the state for Utah to ban this type of supposed therapy. It was hopeful to hear that the LDS Church has also made it clear it will not weigh in opposing a proposal to ban gay conversion therapy, which could significantly impact support as 90 percent of the legislature is composed of LDS members. Contrastingly, the church has made statements on other legislative bills this session that put a damper on things like increasing alcohol in beer in Utah grocery stores.

However, the LDS Church is just one religious organization among many faiths that has in the past directly or indirectly supported members seeking reparative therapy in response to youth coming out as LGBTQ. While the LDS Church’s stance in decades past was that homosexuality was a sin, in recent years it has shifted from that position. At least since 2016, the church’s stance on conversion therapy has been that it does not endorse it.

On its website mormonandgay.lds.org, it states that “For some, feelings of same-sex attraction, or at least the intensity of those feelings, may diminish over time. In any case, a change in attraction should not be expected or demanded as an outcome by parents or leaders.”

In our society, we need to boldly and more specifically communicate that these therapies are not a solution and do not help our youth — or adults.

The Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition reports that gay and transgender teens who were highly rejected by their parents and caregivers were at least eight times more likely to attempt suicide than gay and transgender teens who were not rejected by their parents and caregivers due to their identity.

National Alliance on Mental Illness Utah states on its website that, “Though more therapists and psychiatrists today have positive attitudes toward the LGBTQ community, people still face unequal care due to a lack of training and/or understanding. Health care providers still do not always have up-to-date knowledge of the unique needs of the LGBTQ community or training on LGBTQ mental heath issues. Providers who lack knowledge and experience working with members of the LGBTQ community may focus more on a person’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity than a person’s mental health condition.”

The passage of such a bill banning conversion therapy would surely improve the mental health and emotional well-being of our LGBTQ youth who already struggle with higher rates of suicide and mental health issues. We believe this is an issue all Utahs should get behind.

Hundreds of thousands of American lives have been impacted and hurt by so-called therapies claiming miracle solutions that are false. Utah lawmakers are poised to make sure it at least doesn’t continue on in one more state.

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