Utah bans LGBTQ conversion therapy for children

Utah is now the 19th U.S. state to ban conversion therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity in lesbian, gay, transsexual, bisexual and queer children.

The ban in the Republican-dominated state, which took effect on Wednesday, exempts members of the clergy, lay pastors, and spiritual counselors not licensed by the state from the ban.

Despite those limits, "this is still a big victory in a very conservative state," said Mathew Shurka, 31, of Long Island, New York.

He describes himself as a "survivor" of such therapy and is co-founder of Born Perfect, a nonprofit group pushing for conversion therapy bans across the United States.

Conversion therapy involves a variety of psychological and spiritual practices aimed at changing sexual orientation and gender identity in the belief that homosexuality and transgender identity are mental illnesses.

The American Psychological Association has called the treatment harmful to young people. The American Medical Association has said that conversion therapy does not work and can trigger depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide attempts.

Virginia's state senate approved a ban on Tuesday, and the bill is now being sent to the Democratic-controlled House of Delegates, where it is expected to pass, said Shannon Minter, a San Francisco gay activist working with Born Perfect.

In Utah, the ban takes the form of a regulation. Craig Hall, a Republican state representative, championed legislation that would have banned the therapy, but it failed to pass last year.

He credited support from the influential Mormon Church, to which 62 percent of Utah's 3.1 million residents belong, for the governor's decision to enact the new regulation. The church, opposes same-sex marriage and its doctrine teaches that same-sex relationships are sinful.

Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Church's formal name, had previously opposed the legislation because it did not explicitly exempt clergy.

"We worked very closely with them on the (new) language," Hall said.

"The administrative rule has the same effect as law, and it governs all licensed therapists and doctors," he said.

A church representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hall noted that the state does not license pastors and ministers.

Utah Governor Gary Herbert, a Republican, had no comment on the issue on Wednesday, said spokeswoman Brook Scheffler.

In a press release in November, Herbert said the rule change was needed "to end the harmful practice of conversion therapy on minors."

“The stories of youth who have endured these so-called therapies are heart rending, and I’m grateful that we have found a way forward that will ban conversion therapy forever in our state,” he said.

Troy Williams, executive director of the activist group Equality Utah, said that while the rule does not affect unlicensed counselors, he hopes it sends a message.

"There are a lot of therapists and life coaches still out there who run these camps, and they're dangerous," Williams said. "But hopefully with Utah taking a strong stand, this will get the word out." (Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Trump urges 'war' on Mexico cartels after Americans killed in ambush

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump urged Mexico Tuesday to "wage war," with US help, on the drug cartels believed to have ambushed a group of American Mormons in northern Mexico, killing nine women and children.

"If Mexico needs or requests help in cleaning out these monsters, the United States stands ready, willing & able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively," Trump wrote in a tweet.

The ambush occurred Monday in Rancho de la Mora, in an area along the border between the states of Sonora and Chihuahua that is notorious for drug traffickers and bandits, a relative of several of the victims said.

Julian Lebaron told Formula Radio in Mexico that his cousin was traveling to the airport with her four children when their van was attacked and set on fire with the victims inside.

Two other vehicles were also found with the bodies of two women and a boy and a girl. At least five other children managed to escape and walk home, Lebaron said.

Trump said Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had made fighting the drug cartels a big issue, "but the cartels have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army!"

"This is the time for Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage WAR on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth. We merely await a call from your great new president!"

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Mormons allow baptism for children of same-sex couples

LOS ANGELES - The Mormon Church on Thursday announced it would now allow the children of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender parents to be baptized, regardless of whether the parents are members.

The decision is "effective immediately," said the Church, officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in a statement.

The new policy allows a child to be blessed as a baby and baptized at age eight.

"Previously, our handbook characterized same-gender marriage by a member as apostasy," or a denial of faith, the statement said. 

"While we still consider such a marriage to be a serious transgression, it will not be treated as apostasy for purposes of Church discipline. Instead, the immoral conduct in heterosexual or homosexual relationships will be treated in the same way."

The Church added it wanted to "reduce the hate and contention so common today" -- but insisted its overall teachings had not changed.

"These changes do not represent a shift in Church doctrine related to marriage or the commandments of God in regard to chastity and morality," it said. 

Founded in 1830, the Mormon Church, whose headquarters are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, has 16 million members and says its mission is to restore a true church in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ. 

Its informal name refers to the "Book of Mormon" -- named after an old prophet -- which followers believe is a restored version of the true word of Jesus, rather than traditional Christian scripture.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints also advocates for baptizing dead people who were not baptized while alive -- a practice which sees a living person baptized to baptize the dead person by proxy, even if they lived several generations before. 

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source: news.abs-cbn.com