Columbia residents, clinicians and advocates urge council to keep ban on conversion therapy amid state pressure

Dozens of residents, clinicians and advocates urged Columbia City Council on May 27 to keep the city's ban on conversion therapy for minors as state officials press municipalities to repeal similar ordinances.

The public-comment portion opened with a written statement from State Senator Tamika Devine, read into the record, urging the council to "stand with courage" and resist what she called a state overreach and a budget proviso meant to force repeal. "Please know I'll continue doing my part to fight this kind of overreach at the state level," the statement concluded.

Why it matters: The ordinance at issue (listed in the record as "ordinance 20 21 0 2 1") bars licensed mental-health providers from using their credentials to perform conversion therapy on minors, a practice opposed by leading medical and psychological associations. Speakers said repeal would increase risk to LGBTQ youth, including suicide and family estrangement, while opponents said some clinical and developmental science remains contested.

Survivors and LGBT advocates described…