Joey Garrison

USA Today Network - Tennessee

A second organization has canceled a convention scheduled for Nashville next year because of a new law in Tennessee opposed by gay rights advocates that lets therapists turn down patients because of their principles.

Colorado-based Centers for Spiritual Living had expected to bring more than 550 people to the Sheraton Music City Hotel in February for its three-day annual convention, which is considered on the small end of conventions Nashville attracts.

But the religious group — which represents 400 churches, ministries, study groups and teaching chapters, including two churches in Nashville — confirmed on Wednesday it will look for a new city because of the legislation signed into law two weeks ago by Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.

Counseling association cancels Nashville conference over therapist law

Leaders of the group say they made the decision to take a stand against a law they said goes against their principles of equality and equal access and out of compassion for gay, lesbian and transgender people.

“When the legislation was sent over to the governor’s desk, we actually had great hopes that it would be vetoed and canceled,” said Kenn Gordon, spiritual leader for Centers for Spiritual Living, on Wednesday. “But it wasn’t, and so when he signed it into law that was the decision-point we made to pull out.

Why counseling association said no to Nashville

“There are a lot of LGBTQ people that are involved in the world, period, but (also) in our organization. We did not think in the practice of openness and inclusivity that that law would serve them very well. They felt violated in the action of that, so we chose to take a principled stand. It's against what we hold to be true and believe. We believe in the equality of all humanity."

In explaining his reasons for signing the bill into law last month, Haslam said that it contained provisions that include requiring a counselor to refer a client to another counselor who would serve them.

Will Tennessee's therapist law cut access to mental health care?

The decision of Centers for Spiritual Living to cancel their convention in Nashville comes as the American Counseling Association announced on Tuesday that it had pulled out of an event at Nashville's Music City Center for their annual conference in April 2017.

That event, expected to draw 3,000 people, is significantly larger than the Centers for Spiritual Living conference.

The Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. earlier this week had said a second group made the same decision, but it declined to name them. Centers for Spiritual Living is the second group that the CVC was referencing.

The group's Nashville convention had been expected to generate $301,000 in direct spending from conventioneers in the city and $55,000 in combined local and state tax revenue, CVC spokeswoman Bonna Johnson said Wednesday.

Centers for Spiritual Living is unsure where the organization will move its conference next year.

The group has between 250,000 and 500,000 congregates across the country. The religious organization teaches the principles of oneness, unification and the philosophy of science of mind.

"I love the city," Gordon said of Nashville. "It's just that somewhere along the line, someone or some group of people have to take a stand and say this type of antiquated maneuvering to be able to get one's way is something that we just cannot abide."

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.