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 personal harm. Dylan Gunnels, identified as president of SC Bridal and founder of the Agape Table, said the therapy he received as a teenager "did nothing for me. All it did was harm me." He told the council the city's ban is a statement about safety and whether families will see Columbia as a welcoming place.

Matthew Butler, advocacy strategist with ACLU of South Carolina and board president of the Harriet Hancock Center, framed the matter as local control and professional standards. "This ordinance was written to protect," Butler said. "It is not censorship to require licensed therapists to conform to professional standards." He criticized a letter from Attorney General Alan Wilson and a state senator's involvement as political pressure.

Clinicians also weighed in. Dr. Isabel Mandel, a past president of the South Carolina Psychological Association who served on the state licensing board for psychologists, told council that "a ban on conversion therapy in this city protects the public and most particularly children." She described the practice as harmful and said it is not therapy because it does not aim to help but to change identity.

At least one physician disputed parts of the testimony. Dr. Richard McCain, who identified himself as state chairman of the American Academy of Medical Ethics and an orthopedic surgeon, said scientific data show adolescent sexual attractions can be fluid and argued that some psychotherapy exploring attractions is not inherently harmful.

Multiple speakers, including survivors, clinicians and local advocates, described concrete harms they attribute to conversion therapy: family breakdown, long-term trauma, suicide attempts and increased risk for homeless youth. Julia Smith, advocacy coordinator at the Harriet Hancock Center, said the center's resource guide for LGBTQ-affirming providers had 292 views in the previous month and cautioned that repeal would weaken families' confidence in local referral resources.

Opponents of the ban also made legal and constitutional claims in public comment, and speakers for retention repeatedly urged council members to resist state pressure. Justice Hills, a community speaker, asked councilors to "stand tall" and said the city should reject what he called a form of political "blackmail" tied to state funding.

What council did: Council did not take a vote on repealing the ordinance during the meeting. The item remained a subject of public comment and pending council discussion; no repeal motion was recorded in the meeting minutes that were read into the record.

Context and next steps: Speakers repeatedly referenced a state-level budget proviso and a letter from Attorney General Alan Wilson requesting repeal; advocates said those state actions were a political maneuver rather than a change in law. Several speakers urged council to defend municipal authority and to be prepared to litigate if the state withholds funds. The council signaled it would continue deliberations in future sessions.

Ending: The council proceeded after the public-comment period to adopt routine agenda items and zoning matters. The conversion-therapy question remains contested and pending further council action.