As a licensed professional counselor in the state of South Carolina and concerned citizen, I am deeply troubled by the state Attorney General Alan Wilson's recent letter to the City of Columbia to repeal City Ordinance 2021-021, which would invalidate Columbia’s ordinance banning conversion therapy for minors. This petition is to urge the Attorney General to reconsider this harmful legal action and to empower the citizens of Columbia, South Carolina to uphold this ordinance against Alan Wilson's irresponsible and professionally negligent recommendation. 

I plan to attend the City of Columbia's meeting regarding this issue on

• Date: Tuesday, May 6th
• Time: Regular meeting starts at 4:00 pm
• Location: 1737 Main Street, Third Floor, Columbia, SC 29201

Help me make the point that Columbia residents will uphold this bill against AG Alan Wilson with your signature!

Conversion therapy is not therapy. It is a form of psychological abuse that has been condemned by every major medical and mental health organization in the United States, including the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Association of Social Workers.

Denying youth affirming care does not make them straight or cisgender—it only silences, shames, and endangers them.

LGBTQ+ youth who are not supported in exploring or acknowledging their identities face devastating risks:

1. 40% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously consider suicide each year, and 1 in 5 attempt it.
2. LGBTQ+ youth are more than twice as likely to be bullied and harassed in schools and homes.
3. Hiding identity leads to unsupervised experimentation, risky behaviors, and emotional trauma.

These outcomes are preventable with affirming, nonjudgmental, person-centered mental health care—the same ethical standard expected in all therapy. “Gender-affirming” care does not mean encouraging a particular identity. It simply means respecting the client’s right to self-definition, a core principle of therapeutic integrity across all licensed disciplines.

Even children who grow into heteronormative identities benefit from a therapeutic space that is free of shame, coercion, or moral judgment. The alternative—silence, repression, and fear—has lasting consequences.

Removing Columbia’s ordinance sends a chilling message: that it’s acceptable to force children to deny who they are to fit a political or religious mold.

This is not only unethical—it is dangerous.

I stand with Columbia. I stand with LGBTQ+ youth. I ask you to do the same by upholding the ordinance that protects them from conversion therapy and affirms their right to safe, competent mental health care.

Sincerely,
Curtis Wade Keisler II, MA, LPC

 
📌 Why This Matters:
If Columbia’s ordinance is overturned, local governments across the state could lose the ability to protect vulnerable youth. LGBTQ+ children deserve safety, dignity, and evidence-based care, not political games played at their expense. While the SC LLR Board of certified counselors and individuals subjected to these therapy models may still take action against those who may choose to practice these modalities, victims would have to pursue justice on their own means in adulthood, or hope that another counselor reports these abusive practices. Maintaining this ordinance helps to prevent future reparative action and prevents long-term psychological distress for potential victims of malpractice in counseling. 

Signatures and supporting documents will accompany this letter along with the petition.