While that reference to a cult drinking Koolaid and then 900+ being found dead in the jungle is scary, so is this blog post from 3rd Hour. I usually would not have even given this the time of day, however, after some interviews and discussions with former LDS church members, this seems delusional at best. I am going to take a few minutes to break it down, because yeah, I am like that when I smell bullshit. If you think I didn’t like it, Gramarly thinks it stinks, so much for good grammar.
I had someone ask, why is this healthcare related. LGBTQ deserve healthcare access. This stigma and desire to change them is a major reason to avoid healthcare providers. Conversion therapy is a well documented cause of teen suicide. As providers we should promote mental health in all groups whether we like them or not.
It starts with the standard insult to the “hype” that is surrounding the fact that the LDS church made an 11th-hour complaint about the new rules governing conversion therapy and the ban of that practice. (the author and commenters have a fetish about CBS, maybe they should see a counselor about that)
So for anyone who wants actual facts from someone who didn’t simply copy and paste from an AP Press release — someone who actually read the proposed rule banning conversion therapy and Family Service’s letter explaining why the Church opposes the law as it currently stands — look no further.
Well, gonna hold you to that.
Let’s get one thing out of the way real quick: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints actually OPPOSES any form of therapy that seeks to “repair” or “convert” anyone’s sexual orientation, and has called conversion therapy practices such as electric shock and aversion “ineffective and harmful.”
Oops, screwed up already. The Church and associates of the Church have tons of interest in conversion therapy as well organizations to “treat” homosexuality. Evergreen, which later became North Star and NARTH (yep, that NARTH got funding from the Church). They are continued to be funded and supported by the Church. They offer therapy designed to change sexual orientation or gender identity. Changing gender identity and sexual orientation is the only reason it exists. Strike one.
Ok, well, maybe…
In fact, the Church actually favored a bill (HB399) proposed earlier this year that also banned conversion therapy — a fact that most news outlets, including CBS, have conveniently failed to report. Of this would-be legislation, the Church said, “We appreciate the willingness of the sponsor of this legislation to work with us to make sure that counseling that is in line with the Church’s standards, such as abstinence before marriage, does not fall under the definition of conversion therapy. Our initial concerns over religious freedom issues have been addressed and resolved, so the Church does not oppose the bill in its current form.” (ok, I get it, the local CBS affiliate is not owned by the Church media machine, although it is Sinclair Broadcasting owned)
Until Kariann Lisonbee, the house speaker who has been well reported in this blog, sabotaged this bill and substituted it with a bill that was obviously crafted from outside operatives. Kariann has repeatedly declined to answer our questions. It is of a common belief that it came from the Southerland Institute and the Eagle Forum, both Mormon mouthpieces in the legislature. So what the actual fuck is this bait and switch? I guess that someone or some entity within the LDS church is about to take it in the shorts losing conversion therapy as a business. Those parents will pay top dollar to ensure that junior stays junior and likes girls to please heavenly father.
Oh boy, now porn this is always fun when a group that contains the most significant amount of porn consumers speaks:
The letter goes on to explain that the proposed rule defines certain terms, like “sexual orientation change efforts,” so broadly that even legitimate and helpful therapy practices requested by a patient and utilized by their therapist could be considered illegal and threaten that therapist’s licenses. Several examples are given, including that of a 12-year-old boy who is gay and views homosexual pornography but wishes to stop based on personal goals and religious reasons. If that therapist were to help that child, based on his request, to attempt the removal of pornography from his life, it could be considered a “sexual orientation change effort” and threaten the therapist’s license.
No, it doesn’t. Why the porn obsession, anyway? This is a diversion. The hope is that you will think that some poor LDS family services counselors could lose their license, because they discussed 13 yo, junior’s gay porn consumption. Creepy for a non-family member adult to speak to a child about any of this, but hey, this is Utah, where they have the kids, then expect everyone else to raise them. They are concerned because it could be construed to change a behavior closely associated with sexual orientation. Really? That’s about as far a stretch as it is to come to Utah from Palmyra, NY (that’s where Joseph Smith was told by someone to head to Utah). You want to know what they think of Joseph in Palmyra, get ready for an earful (Yeah I have been and I took a lot of grief from living here.
Lastly and not least:
The concern is based entirely on the rule’s ambiguous language and the fact that it could prohibit proven effective therapy practices.
Oh, you mean the ones with electric shocks to the genitals? Sleep deprivation? Hours of repeated “counseling” in this state with non-stop religious services? Yeah, that’s a hard pass there. Maybe they don’t do this, but who is to say this doesn’t happen?
A commenter on this blog said:
Thank you! I noticed the stark misleading headlines as well and thought, “That’s not where the Church stands.” I think it’s worth noting that the Church has several LGBTQ people in it. I’m not being pressured into changing my sexual orientation. That may be a thing of the past in the Church, but so was it for many other organizations. But it’s not where we are today.
Well, no. read some of the comments from the 1st presidency at conference this year. Nope, they have no use for gays, and they are well on record. There has been no change within the Church, and it is a fallacy to believe any of it. They are just being sneakier. Do I think they still electrocute, or sleep deprive gay children? No clear answer there. This zebra ain’t changed its stripes one-bit, sorry kids I need more proof than a poorly written blog from a missionary telling me. “it ain’t so.”
Please be the kind of person that your mom and your dog hope you are.