Some gay patients in Utah have accused a therapist they were referred to by the Church of Latter-day Saints of sexual abuse, according to a new report from ProPublica.
ProPublica, in partnership with The Salt Lake Tribune, published the report on Thursday detailing that numerous gay men who were former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were allegedly assaulted by a therapist they were recommended to see by the church. He has been identified as Scott Owen.
The report comes amid a rise in attacks against members of the LGBTQ+ community over the past several months. According to a report from the Anti-Defamation League and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), from June 2022 to April 2023, there were over 350 cases of vandalism, assault and harassment against members of the LGBTQ+ community.
A man identified by ProPublica by the pseudonym Andrew was recommended to see the therapist in 2015 after speaking to his bishop about being gay. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, same-sex attraction is not considered a sin, according to its website, but same-sex marriage is not allowed.
According to ProPublica, beginning in October 2015, Andrew was sexually abused by Owen, accusing him of groping, kissing and encouraging him to undress during their therapy sessions over a five-month period.
In Utah, sexual touching in a therapy session is illegal and considered "unprofessional conduct." A professional could lose their license or face other consequences under the state's rule.
When Andrew told his bishop what happened, he said he was advised to bring the allegations to Utah's Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL).
"I left feeling disgusted in what had happened...and vowed to never return," Andrew wrote in his report to Utah's DOPL. Andrew eventually took a polygraph test conducted by the DOPL but the results came back that he was being deceptive, according to the report.
In November 2016, the DOPL reprimanded Owen after he admitted to giving Andrew hugs during their therapy sessions and that he "inappropriately touched a client in a non-sexual manner," ProPublica reported. However, Owen told the DOPL that Andrew's other allegations were false and instead said it was "quite a story he concocted."
In a statement provided to Newsweek, the Utah DOPL said: "It is important to note that the Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) did not have knowledge of Mr. Owen's activities for years before he was disciplined. In fact, an investigation was promptly opened, and subsequent disciplinary actions were taken based on that first complaint. The license was disciplinarily surrendered in 2018 due to DOPL's investigation into Mr. Owen, as he sought to avoid a public hearing."
According to the statement, after the DOPL learned of the allegations made by Andrew, the agency did not have any additional evidence or witnesses other than "two conflicting accounts" made by Andrew and Owen.
"Nevertheless, based on the evidence that 'Andrew' could provide, the Division issued a public reprimand to Mr. Owen in November 2016 after a negotiated stipulation and order between DOPL and Owen's attorney. The reprimand required him to appear before Utah's Clinical Mental Health Counselor Licensing Board for an 'educational session' in March 2017. Additionally, that same month, Mr. Owen was required to attend training specific to ethical behavior and boundaries," the statement said. "Second, Mr. Owen's public reprimand is a significant action with consequences."
The statement added that after the DOPL received another complaint in 2018 against Owen, it immediately opened a case and investigated.
"Through the investigator's interview with the second victim, additional victims became known to the investigator. This gave the Division what it needed to move forward with subpoenas for patient records to Mr. Owen and his business partner. This led to DOPL reaching an agreement with Mr. Owen to surrender his license as he sought to avoid a public hearing," the statement said.
Newsweek reached out to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints via email for comment. Newsweek was unable to find contact details for Owen to reach him for comment.
The report from ProPublica also included several other of Owen's patients who accused him of similar sexual abuse, including a man identified as Jonathan Scott, who said that his therapy sessions eventually turned into cuddling.
Another gay member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also accused Owen of sexual abuse after he began seeing him for therapy. The man declined an interview but ProPublica obtained a text message he sent to his brother after reporting Owen to the DOPL in 2018, which said, "Just got off the phone with the investigator...It was pretty rough to explain to him all of what happened, but I'm glad I got through it and started this process."
Shortly after the report in 2018, Owen decided to surrender his license to the DOPL and according to ProPublica, the DOPL stated that he likely touched "a number" of his clients.
Both Jonathan Scott and Andrew have since parted ways with the Church of Jesus of Latter-Day Saints.
"There's been zero justice, as far as I can see," Scott told ProPublica.
Update 8/8/23, 10:42 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from the Utah DOPL.
Update 8/4/23, 1:13 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with a new headline and to include that Newsweek was unable to reach the therapist for comment.
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