South Carolina’s capital city has repealed its ban on conversion therapy, despite an outcry from LGBTQ advocates and mental health professionals. The Columbia City Council voted 4 to 3 this week to overturn the 2021 ordinance, which had prohibited licensed therapists from attempting to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
The law carried a $500 fine for violators and excluded religious leaders. Mayor Daniel Rickenmann and council members Peter Brown, Ed McDowell, and Will Brennan all voted to lift the ban, citing pressure from South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson. Wilson, a Republican running for governor, claimed the ordinance violated state and federal laws and threatened to cut off state funding if it remained in place. One voice of frustration was Jessica Thomas, a Columbia mayoral candidate, who told The Post and Courier, “It’s such a betrayal.”
Mental health experts also sounded alarms. Dr. Isabelle Mandell told councilmembers,
“For y’all to give in and capitulate without a battle of any kind is strange to me. Where is the outrage? You haven’t tried. You haven’t fought it.”
Local attorney Nekki Shutt even offered to represent the city for free if the ordinance was challenged. She said,
“The city of Columbia is a refuge city in South Carolina for LGBTQ people. It’s where we can feel safe,” she said, according to the paper. “I laid down roots because I feel safe here.”
Yet, despite pleas from citizens, medical groups, and attorneys, the council moved forward with repeal, for the second time in two weeks. Conversion therapy remains widely discredited by leading U.S. medical organizations. A 2023 coalition of 28 such groups condemned the practice outright. Still, politics and pressure appear to have carried the day in Columbia.
