Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) issued an apology Thursday to a group of young LGBTQ activists angered by the demise of a bill that would have outlawed “gay conversion therapy” for minors in the state.

Until this week, Utah seemed poised to follow states like Delaware, Maryland and New York by passing legislation prohibiting licensed mental health professionals from practicing conversion therapy on minors.

Hebert endorsed House Bill 399, as did other lawmakers in the state’s Republican-dominated legislature. Officials of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said they would not oppose it.

By Wednesday, however, the bill was put on hold indefinitely after it was extensively revised in committee and faced pushback from lawmakers and LGBTQ advocacy groups. The new wording meant that the conversion therapy ban would apply only to methods that induced “physical discomfort,” like nausea or vomiting, and appeared to exclude transgender youths.

The following day, more than 30 young activists staged a sit-in outside Herbert’s office at the state Capitol in Salt Lake City, demanding an apology. By evening, Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox presented the group with a letter from Herbert, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

“I realize there is much I do not understand about the issues that LGBTQ youth face every day. I also believe that you deserve to be heard,” he wrote, as seen in photos posted on social media.