A sit-in outside the office of Utah Governor Gary Herbert has had an unexpected, slightly positive outcome: the Republican governor has written a letter of apology to protesters for his Republican colleagues’ homophobic behavior.
It all started over HB399, a bill in the Utah legislature to ban conversion therapy, a process aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity, often through religious means, that has been widely denounced as unproductive torture by the medical community.
Despite overwhelming evidence provided by both the LGBTQ and medical communities, Republican House Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Karianne Lisonbee gutted the bill to ban the abusive practice.
And so the so-called “talk” therapy can continue.
How about we take this to the next level?
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In a letter to the LGBTQ community, Governor Herbert expressed his remorse and apologized to the protesters over the alteration of the bill.
“You deserve our help,” he wrote. “And you deserve a future where you feel safe, welcome, and loved in our state…We have had an enormous misunderstanding and I am sorry.”
.@SpencerJCox did give the #LGBTQ rights activists a written apology from @GovHerbert. Here it is… @fox13 #utpol #utleg pic.twitter.com/V1sAvazNyG
— Ben Winslow (@BenWinslow) March 8, 2019
“I am prepared to make sure that we develop good policy that protects our LGBTQ youth,” Herbert continued. “I invite you to work with us as we work with the legislature and all those affected to protect you and end abusive practices in Utah.”
The gutted bill still allows for conversion therapy in minors, even for gender identity.
Utah is widely regarded as one of the most conservative states in the country. It also boasts one of the highest suicide rates in the nation–a statistic often attributed to the hostility towards the queer community from the local government, and from the Church of Latter Day Saints, which dominates public life.
Related: Utah sees a spike in the number of straight men having gay sex
Aromaeus
Apology means d*ck until there is real change. I can’t wait for the day when that harmful cult is dismantled.
DuMaurier
I hope you mean “dismantled” voluntarily and not forcibly, what with that little piece of paper we call the Constitution and all.
Scout
Queerty is putting too many of my comments, without any discernible reason, under “Awaiting moderation” which of course means they won’t appear.
I want to know how to delete my profile. Anybody know how?
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
They must have changed the algorithm.
Same thing here! If you copy and paste and repost your comment for some reason it will not be subject to moderation…
PinkoOfTheGange
don’t ever use the edit function
Just copy the post.
Delete the original
Paste the old one in and make the needed changes
THEN
Post
BUT NEVER
Edit.
Vince
It’s nice to see the queerty gives a damn about the commenting system. Lol
Why they never moved over to the disqus system like everyone else instead of staying with this archaic POS makes you wonder. Maybe because they can’t control the naughty words.
Jared MacBride
Herbert has gone from being a table-pounding bigot to what is in Utah – outside SLC – a moderate position. Continued evolution is needed.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Please no hate towards this man!! It’s pathetic to put it this way, but what he did is incredibly brave….
PinkoOfTheGange
brave or smart? Utah can’t continue to grow unless they continue to poach businesses from more progressive states.
GayEGO
Good for Governor Herbert, it is about time! I was raised as a Mormon in Boise, Idaho and Boise had a horrible event where gays were prosecuted and sent to prison in 1955. A video was made called “The Fall of ’55” and 9 out of 10 of gays were Mormon. Of course, I was only 14, but I knew I liked boys. I left the Mormon Church in 1959 because I disagreed with their doctrines. I went into the Navy in 1959, met my lifetime partner in 1962, we lived a normal American life, paying our bills and taxes, and now we are both retired living the American Dream.
Seth
The moment “misunderstanding” was introduced, the “apology” became worthless.