Thank you, Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, and your fellow representatives, who have gutted a bill to protect LGBTQ youth in our state and left them at risk for another year. You should be so proud.
However, it is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that I reflect on the silence of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City during the Utah Legislature’s debate on the practice of conversion “therapy.”
As a lifelong Catholic and as a developmental psychologist for nearly 50 years, I would have liked to have seen my Utah Catholic leaders condemn a practice that creates the potential for serious and sometimes fatal mental health problems. If the CDSLC truly promotes “respect for life,” does this respect not extend to our LGBTQ sisters and brothers?
Please, CDSLC, speak up for some of the most vulnerable members of our community. And if he honestly seeks social justice, Bishop Oscar Solis should announce a plan to direct all Catholic priests, deacons and religious in Utah to denounce this horrific practice.
Frank R. Ascione, Logan