Superior City Council Considering Ban on Conversion Therapy

Ban would be for therapy on anyone under 18; it would not include religious counseling

SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Superior City Council is planning to consider a city-wide ban on conversion therapy for anyone under eighteen years of age.

Medical experts say the controversial practice aims to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

It’s still practiced by some across the country, but there’s no evidence of it happening in Superior.

Conversion therapy for minors has already been banned in seven Wisconsin cities: Eau Claire, Milwaukee, Cudahy, Shorewood, Madison, Racine, and Sheboygan.

Now, Superior is looking to stop the practice that is considered abusive by many mental health professionals.

“Just because we don’t see it doesn’t mean it that doesn’t exist,” said Superior City Councilor Ruth Ludwig, the lead sponsor of the proposed ordinance.

Ludwig says it’s time for the city to take a stand against conversion therapy, something that has not been banned statewide.

“If we look into a lot of laws that are passed, they’re not started at the national level or the state level, they’re started at the local level,” said Ludwig.

She hasn’t heard of the controversial therapy happening in Superior, but she says an ordinance will make it easier for people to report it if they know about it.

“Anytime a community can step up and say this is not okay, it shows a lot of support for the LGBTQA community and the struggles that they go through and it is helpful for them to understand that there are people who are standing up for them in that way,” said Rachel Rehbein, a Licensed Professional Counselor at Superior’s Creative Counseling Group.

She tells us conversion therapy is a remnant from a bygone era in psychology.

“It’s also really harmful,” said Rehbein. “It’s based in really abusive practices and really shaming practices that we know are incredibly harmful and even traumatizing for people.”

She says best practices for treating LGBTQA people calls for treating the effects of societal problems, not shaming the patient.

“You’re treating distress related to trauma, related to bullying, related to neglect or abandonment by family members,” explained Rehbein.

Superior City Councilor Jenny Van Sickle is co-sponsoring the conversion therapy ban. She sent the following statement to Fox 21:

“It’s harmful and should be illegal. We have the power, duty and privilege to take a stand. PRIDE began in Superior and we need to uphold our strong values by representing and protecting every resident as best we can. If it’s not happening, great. But we have the power to penalize the abusive practice in the marketplace, and it’s the right thing to do.”

If a provider is offering conversion therapy in Superior, they could be fined under the ordinance.

The ban would not extend to religious counseling or to therapy with people eighteen and older.

The ordinance is on the agenda for the August 20th Superior City Council meeting.