James Finn
1 min readFeb 16, 2022

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No, though to be fair that's a function of first amendment guarantees of free practice of religion. No US state will probably ever be able to pass a ban as a wiggle free as Canada's or New Zealand's.

That said, there's a wide spectrum of possibilities available. New York State's ban, for example, which explicitly applies only to licensed mental health professionals, is nearly worthless, just an opportunity for politicians to pat themselves on the back and say that they did good stuff for queer people.

Utah, on the other hand, tried a lot harder. The state legislature had proposed a general ban that had as little wiggle room available as the first amendment would allow. It was attracting broad support and with good reason; the youth suicide rate in Utah is sky high, higher than anywhere else in the United States by a large margin. It's impossible to know exactly why, but informed speculation points to Mormon anti-LGBTQ teachings, the extensive social stigma that goes along with that in Utah, and conversion therapy as recommended and practiced by the LDS Church.

Of course they say they oppose conversion therapy, but they really don't. They really practice it. The law would have stood to get them in a lot of legal trouble. So they stopped the law in its tracks using their extensive political power, put it on hold for a year, and then negotiated different wording which will leave them free to continue their practices as before.

The toothless ban passed as journalists and others celebrated an LGBTQ victory that isn't.

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James Finn
James Finn

Written by James Finn

James Finn is an LGBTQ columnist, a former Air Force intelligence analyst, an alumnus of Act Up NY, and an agented but unpublished novelist.

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