Ask DOPL to Protect All Utah Teens

Please use common sense to protect all of our freedoms.

Once again, government and organizations are trying to bypass the vote of the people of Utah and micromanage the professionals that work here--not to mention putting children and adults already in difficult situations at even greater risk!

As a mother of foster children who are struggling to put their lives together, I can tell you that children need all of their options. They need to be able to determine the course their lives will take, which means getting help for same sex attraction if they don't want it.

Keep government within its appropriate boundaries.

Parental rights are in jeopardy with this bill and I hope we can get the message out and stop it !

People should be able to seek the kind of therapy that they feel would be most beneficial to their specific situation. There is substantial religious persecution in blocking various therapy methods that would offer patients the option to embrace traditional gender roles.

Please help us prevent this dangerous legislation from being introduced, which would limit the ability for patients and counselors to discuss important therapies

Therapy is between professional and client, not to be interfered with by the state. The state needs to get out of the regulating business.

It has been a pleasure to work with those, both adult and youth, with regards to Same Gender Attraction - Same Sex Attraction. I agree that in any of the mainstream therapies there are possible misleading and non-factual elements. The same goes for the not-so-well-known types of therapeutic instances. However, it should be remembered that every single norm with regards to mental health, mental illness, or Behavioral Health, a beginning was made, tried and followed through. Many mistakes, and many triumphant moments occurred during trial and error experimentation. Today there are renewed ideals in finding and securing what is best for the individual, with particular clarity as to the safety and progress toward a positive outcome in mind. Far be it a deterrent to the individual, familial, or societal norm to speak only to the negative. There are proven positive entities to this ideal of helping gently and kindly, the ever so needy person with whatever is proven good. In a society of intermingled interest with regards to those who are often deemed as 'different,' please consider the tremendously joyous outcomes for this and most other approved healing actions. Certainly we ought to give this cause more 'freedom to choose' by the patient/client, who already is struggling and suffering with regards to their own vulnerability. It make no clear sense to force or reject when such importance is agreeable to positive and lasting individual, as well as collective outcome. Members of the DOPL decision-making staff, please consider both sides of the story carefully. Then after having heard, seek humbly the best practice for this sincere plea. Thank you, Ed.

Carl Rogers taught that the person who decides who the therapist will be and the threrapeutic outcome is the patient. Government needs no involvement. Gay activists don't get to demand what kind of therapy a 15 year old kid chooses for himself. There are too many responsible therapists who help gay youth that the youth and the parents can shop for the one that best suits the needs of the youth.

Do what’s right. Regent the language. Help these kids and families appropriately.

#SexNotGender #childrenarenotexperiments

As a former "trans" child, I am so thankful that my school psychologist was not compelled to affirm my gender dysphoria.

This concerns the majority !

Eagle Forum, thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Herbert should be ashamed, but he's just a tool.

I went and became a therapist myself in order to find a way to reconcile my sexual attractions with my faith. When everywhere I turned said the only answer is to accept who you are my life went into a tailspin and I became withdrawn and suicidal. After searching I found support groups of men that found alternative treatment options. Like alternative medicine, they were ridiculed and even shunned by the mainstream, but for me they were lifesaving. To restrict or ban sick would be like restricting or banning all alternative medical treatments especially since the mainstream professional organizations have refused to even step up and put any money towards actual hard research. As person who has developed and conducted hard behavioral research with the University of Arizona and with Phoenix Children's Hospital, and understanding that every research study of Human subjects must go through an Investigational Review Board, there are safe guards in place to do such research. It had been my understanding that research has been done, but the mainstream refuses to accept it because it doesn't meet their standards. If this is the case, then target than a nuclear option of total ban, then these mainstream treatment organizations must therefore be mandated to back up their theories with hard data. If there is a claim of harm, develop the research measures for harm, and prove it. Currently, I am not aware of any treatment measures for harm to back up the claims made by these mainstream experts. So such claims are unfounded in the research. So good these professionals accountable to these claims by first getting the hard data with measures. Otherwise, others like me could likewise be harmed by therapeutic neglect.

Please please. Listen . Protect our families and children.

I experience same sex attraction. It has not always been at the same intensity, and I am grateful I was able to work with a licensed therapist to help me reduce my attractions and modify my feelings, behaviors and emotions. It was very important to my emotional health that I was able to speak with a licensed therapist who supported me in my goals. If I had not been able to get help with changing and reducing behaviors, feelings, expressions, and attractions related to my same-sex attraction, I would not be in a healthy emotional state now. Being able to direct my own goals in therapy saved me from suicide. It also saved my marriage and allowed my children to have a father who is emotionally present. All Utah teens deserve the same opportunity. Please modify the language to allow client freedom and self direction. The health of teens in Utah depends on it.

Let doctors decide best how to serve their clients. This is not something politicians should decide.