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Show A-14 The Park Record Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, March 9-12, 2019 Therapy ban bill stalls out – Gated Community with Forever Views – 3777 QUARRY MOUNTAIN ROAD LOT 30 LGBTQ activists say proposal was rendered moot LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press A Developer’s Dream | 5.28 Acres | $2,545,000 SALT LAKE CITY – The fight to ban gay conversion therapy for minors in conservative Utah is over for the year after the proposal was gutted by lawmakers, supporters said Wednesday. A prominent activist blasted Republican Gov. Gary Herbert’s support for the changes that would have allowed therapists to talk about changing sexual orientation as long as they didn’t promise to reverse it. Troy Williams with Equality Utah said that language would do nothing to address practices associated with increased suicide risk, and Herbert’s support shows he’s not interested in protecting LGBTQ youth “Governor Herbert turned his back on LGBT youth, turned his back on leading experts and sided with conversion therapists,” said Williams, who also resigned his spot on a gubernatorial suicide-prevention task force. Herbert responded in a letter that he wants to reduce an alarming spike in youth suicide in Utah, but also wants to “protect the rights of parents in counseling with their children in these sensitive matters.” The sponsor of the original proposal, Republican Rep. Craig Hall, said he couldn’t see a path forward for the original bill he proposed. Williams, meanwhile, said it often takes years to pass bills on big issues, and he plans to try again next year. The bill had been gaining momentum after the influential Mormon church announced it would not oppose the measure, which exempted religious leaders. Conversion therapy has been banned in 15 other states and the District of Columbia. The changes to the Utah bill came after a backlash from conservative groups and some ther- apists who said it could have a “chilling effect,” on how they talk about sexuality with young clients. Republican Rep. Karianne Lisonbee sponsored the changes that would have banned outdated techniques such as electroshock therapy and barred therapists from promising a “complete and permanent reversal” of sexual orientation. She argued it was a clearer prohibition, but supporters of the original measure said it would allow practices harmful to LGBT youth and didn’t ban any therapy associated with gender identity. Conversion therapy has a history in Utah, where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leaders once taught that homosexuality could be “cured,” according to religion scholars. The faith has since condemned conversion therapy and taken a more welcoming stance to LGBT people, though it remains opposed to marriage and sexual relations between people of the same gender. ter Day Saints, told The Associated Press that she could have used the money for therapy after years of threats, harassment and displacement pushed her to run away. “I’ve been free for about seven years,” she said. “I actually climbed out a window and I did escape.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints renounced polygamy in the late 19th century. A handful of groups scattered through the state continue to practice it, and have a range of specific beliefs and practices. Among the most prominent is the FLDS, whose female members typically wear prairie-style dresses and distinctive hairstyles. Jeffs, its well-known longtime leader, is serving a life prison sentence in Texas for assaulting girls he considered wives. The legislation says anyone leaving a polygamous community is qualified to apply for the fund. But in order to be eligible for compensation, the perpetrator must be reported to law enforcement for investigation, which isn’t always an easy task. “A lot of people who are leaving don’t realize they are a victim of any crime,” said Angela Kelly, director of Sound Choices Coalition. “If there is anything they know it is that they are leaving polygamy.” Gary Scheller, director of the Utah Office for Victims of Crime, noted that enacting the legislation to add people leaving polygamous communities would not change anything for Utah taxpayers and businesses. Scheller went on to say that with nearly $3 million in reserve, the Utah Office for Victims of Crime would be able to afford and sustain the new proposal. Supporters note that the legislation will help people who leave polygamous communities with few resources, often with children to support. “This bill will help for emergency housing, getting new doctors for therapy and to show who we Utahn’s really are as a society,” Decker said. Victim benefits could come Bill would allow polygamy victims to receive payouts JOSEPH GEDEON Quarry Mountain Ranch is a 210-acre gated community with just 36 homesites superbly located in the Old Ranch Road area of Park City. Just minutes from skiing, 100’s of miles of trails, schools, shopping, and Main Street. For a private showing of this or any other Park City property, please call Scott or Natalie. Scott Maizlish Natalie Cregger REALTOR® Sales Associate 435.901.4309 scottmaizlish.com 801.244.2367 scott.maizlish@sothebysrealty.com natalie.cregger@sothebysrealty.com This material is based upon information that we consider reliable, but because it has been supplied by third parties, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete, including price, or withdrawal without notice; square footage is an estimate only. ©MMXIX Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a licensed trademark to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. An Equal Opportunity Company. Each office is independently owned and operated. Copyright© Summit Sotheby’s International Realty 2019. Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY – A proposal to let people from polygamous communities receive money from a crime-victims fund to help rebuild their lives passed another key step at the Legislature on Wednesday. The measure approved by a Senate panel allows victims of bigamy and related crimes to apply for assistance grants at the Utah Office for Victims of Crime. Analysts estimate the fund would pay out about $3,500 a year per victim beginning in 2020. Brielle Decker, a former wife of Warren Jeffs, the imprisoned leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Lat- FREE Appetizer with Purchase of 2 Entrées With coupon only. Not valid with any other offers. Expires 5/1/19 Dine-In • Take-Out Reservations Private Events Full-Service Bar 195 West Main Street • Midway, Utah (435) 657-5494 • www.midwaycorner.com |