SC United Reaffirms Strong Support for Columbia Ordinance Protecting LGBTQ Youth from ‘Conversion Therapy’

Columbia ordinance protects young people from dangerous anti-LGBTQ ‘conversion therapy,’ which can increase depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation. 20 states and 100+ cities have similar protections in place.

Supporters of LGBTQ youth today expressed strong support for the City of Columbia’s 2021 ordinance protecting minors from so-called ‘conversion therapy,’ the dangerous and debunked practice of attempting to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Earlier today, in a response to a request from Sen. Josh Kimbrell for an advisory opinion, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson issued an opinion that the ordinance could be found unconstitutional in court. 

In the United States, 20 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico now prohibit ‘conversion therapy,’ while an executive order in North Carolina prohibits state funding of providers. More than 100 cities across the country have passed local ordinances like Columbia’s. A majority of Americans (56%), including a majority in every region of the country (53% in the South) believe that ‘conversion therapy’ should be illegal. 

An estimated 700,000 Americans have endured “conversion therapy” in their lifetime, with half of these receiving the treatment as minors. Techniques involve rejection, shame, and psychological abuse and can range from extreme electroshock treatments or institutionalization to “counseling” services based on pseudoscience.  

Kimmah Dozier-Burt (she/her), Board President of the Harriet Hancock Center in Columbia, spoke today on behalf of the SC United for Justice & Equality coalition:

“There is nothing unconstitutional about protecting minors from a dangerous and debunked practice that we know results in years of damage to the mental health of young people. We were proud and grateful to see Columbia lawmakers do the right thing last summer by joining 100+ cities and 20 states nationwide in passing a local ordinance protecting minors from the horrible anti-LGBTQ practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy.’ It’s a major step toward the future we want to build where all South Carolinians, including LGBTQ youth, know that they are loved, supported, and safe.”

Dylan Gunnels (he/him), founder of The Agape Table and a resident of Columbia, SC, said:

“There’s no question that ‘conversion therapy’ is harmful to LGBTQ young people and should be outlawed. I know firsthand the dangers of so-called ‘conversion therapy,’ having endured it myself as a teenager. It is psychologically damaging pseudoscience that tries to ingrain in queer young people that they are shameful sinners who deserve to be rejected, erased, and fundamentally changed. No young person should be subjected to what I went through, and I was relieved when Columbia banned this heinous practice. I want to tell LGBTQ youth in our state today: You are worthy of love, dignity, and respect – exactly as you are now.”

Columbia City Councilmember Howard Duvall (he/him), who voted in favor of the ordinance last summer, said:

“LGBTQ youth already endure so much, including disproportionately high rates of mental health challenges like depression, in part because they internalize messages of shame and rejection. In Columbia, we wanted to do everything in our power to protect LGBTQ young people and tell them that they deserve respect and love – and that they should be proud to be themselves. Our Council did the right thing by passing this ordinance, and I stand by it. No minor should be subjected to the abuse of ‘conversion therapy.’”

The opinion from the Attorney General’s office comes against the backdrop of S.811, a bill seeking to preempt South Carolina municipalities from passing local ordinances that prohibit licensed therapists from subjecting minors to ‘conversion therapy.’ This version of S.811 was amended and advanced last week by a subcommittee of the South Carolina Senate Medical Affairs Committee, which is scheduled to discuss the bill on Thursday, February 17. 

‘Conversion therapy’ has been rejected by every leading professional medical and mental health association, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, and the National Association of Social Workers. It has also been denounced by the founders of so-called “ex-gay” ministries, including McKrae Game, founder of Hope for Wholeness which was based in South Carolina and known as one of the nation’s most prominent conversion therapy centers. He said in 2019, “the very harmful cycle of self shame and condemnation has to stop.” Learn more about ‘conversion therapy’ in South Carolina here.

The Campaign for Southern Equality’s 2019 Southern LGBTQ Health Survey found that more than half of respondents in South Carolina reported fair or poor mental health. Reported rates of several mental health challenges were much higher among South Carolina respondents than respondents from the rest of the South; these included people who have experienced suicidal ideation (33%, compared to 26% in the full sample), depression (71%, compared to 55% in the full sample), and anxiety (63%, compared to 46% in the full sample).