NEWS

Sheboygan Common Council could ban conversion therapy on minors next week

Diana Dombrowski
Sheboygan Press

SHEBOYGAN - The Common Council will vote Monday night on an ordinance that would ban the practice of conversion therapy on minors in the city of Sheboygan if passed.

Conversion therapy is defined in the ordinance as any practices or treatments offered for a fee that try to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity "including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual attractions or romantic attractions or feelings towards individuals of the same gender."

It doesn't include counseling for someone undergoing gender transition.

If the ordinance passes, anyone practicing conversion therapy on someone under 18 for a fee will be referred to the state's Department of Safety and Professional Services, which regulates therapy services and professional counseling.

"It's a personal issue for me," said Alderperson Betty Ackley.

Ackley has a child who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ community and she's also written papers on the topic in her classes at UW-Green Bay where she is studying psychology, she said

"The angle that we're taking this at is that this is a public health situation," said Alderperson Ryan Sorenson, one of the ordinance's authors.

In Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Madison, Eau Claire, Cudahy, Shorewood and Racine have passed bans on conversion therapy, which Sorenson said partially sparked the discussion among city alders.

"We definitely agree Sheboygan needs to be a leader on this, too, to show that we're not going to tolerate child abuse," Sorenson said. "We're going to address public health issues, whatever they're going to be, head on."

Every mainstream medical and mental health organization including the American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association and American Medical Association have rejected the practice, and conversion therapy has been shown to have harmful results like depression, anxiety and substance abuse, according to city documents.

"The city of Sheboygan is a welcoming community to all people, and does not accept bigotry and hate," a document accompanying a draft of the ordinance said.

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Contact Diana Dombrowski at ddombrowski@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @domdomdiana