Rochester approves ban on conversion therapy

Rochester on Monday became the latest Minnesota city to support a ban on the pseudoscientific practice of ‘conversion therapy.’

The Rochester City Council approved the ban 6-1 without comment. Council President Randy Staver cast the sole vote against the resolution.

The text adopted by the council calls conversion therapy — the practice of ‘converting’ a gay person to a straight person — “a harmful, barbaric practice that has no place in modern society.”

That language is consistent with statements from the American Psychiatric Association (APA), which has long opposed the practice. The APA notes that “no credible evidence exists that any mental health intervention can reliably and safely change sexual orientation; nor, from a mental health perspective does sexual orientation need to be changed.”

Speaking ahead of the council vote, several area youth called the council action long overdue.

“It simply doesn’t work,” said Ojas Bhagra, a youth commissioner. “No credible scientific study has ever truly supported the claims of conversion therapists to actually change a person’s sexual orientation.”

The city action comes as more and more states and municipalities around the U.S. are adopting resolutions of their own banning the practice. At least 20 states — from Maine to Utah to Washington — have passed laws banning conversion therapy on minors. Some Minnesota cities, including Winona and Duluth, have also passed ordinances of their own.

However, on a statewide level, lawmakers here have not yet passed a bill banning the widely discredited practice, sometimes referred to as ‘reparative therapy.’ A proposal that would have outlawed conversion therapy on minors and vulnerable adults was introduced in the Minnesota House in 2019, but wound up stalling as part of a larger health and human services bill.

Rochester City Attorney Jason Loos says without a statewide ban, the city has little authority to take administrative action against those who violate the city measure. Still, he says, the city action is meant to send the message that conversion therapy is not welcome here.

“It is ‘binding’ in that it is formal action by the City of Rochester stating the City does not approve of the practice,” Loos said via email. “At the same time, we recognize that cities do not license mental health providers and do not have authority to take administrative action. The City is urging the State to formally ban the practice and take action against any practitioner who engages in the practice.”

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.

Cover photo licensed via Canva