In 2020, the Utah State Legislature unanimously passed HB399, which banned the discredited, dangerous practice of conversion therapy for minors. This bill was the product of true bipartisanship. It garnered the support of not only LGBTQ advocates but also of Utah Republicans and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Passing this legislation in a deeply conservative state was remarkable. Lawmakers listened to the heart-wrenching stories of LGBTQ youth who had experienced intense emotional distress and suicidal ideation because of this discredited practice. In an increasingly rare act of legislative compassion for LGBTQ Utahns, the Legislature declared that enough is enough. They affirmed that the state should protect LGBTQ minors from therapists who abuse clients under the guise of “therapy.”
Now a similar law in Colorado is likely to be overturned by the United States Supreme Court, and the Utah law is in danger. For LGBTQ Utahns, it is disheartening that laws intended to protect our rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are constantly under attack. Overturning these laws won’t be anything worth celebrating. LGBTQ youth will suffer, and many will look back and mourn, asking why we failed to protect the “least of these.”
Jacob Newman
Millcreek