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City of Duluth conversion therapy ban online reporting form

[Duluth, MN] The Duluth City Council made conversion therapy provided to minors illegal in Duluth, Minnesota by passing ordinance 19-071 in December of 2019. The purpose of this ordinance is to protect minors’ psychological and physical health from the harmful effects of conversion therapy.

Conversion therapy is any attempt to change one’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression through the means of psychological, physical, and/or spiritual interventions. Typically, the goal is to convert the person to heterosexual and/or cisgender. Heterosexual meaning the sexual and/or romantic attraction between people of different sexes or genders and cisgender meaning the person identifies with the gender that corresponds to the biological sex they were assigned at birth (i.e. a person born with a penis who was assigned male at birth also identifies as a man in regards to their gender).

Since ordinance 19-071 was passed, the City of Duluth has created an online reporting form that the public may be unaware of. If you or someone you know is receiving conversion therapy, or if you are aware of someone practicing conversion therapy, you can report this through the online reporting form. Reports can also be made anonymously. To access this form, please click the following link:

https://duluthmn.gov/city-clerk/conversion-therapy-ban/about-duluths-conversion-therapy-ban/

Another easy way to find this page is to use a search engine and type “Duluth MN conversion therapy ban report,” or another similar phrase.

"Everyone in our community - including LGBTQ+ folx should be able to trust mental health providers to provide necessary and healthy support. I am happy that we have this reporting tool available in Duluth,” said City Councilor Gary Anderson.

Some providers use other terms to refer to conversion therapy in attempts to mask what services they are actually providing. It is important to recognize these other terms when it comes to reporting the practice of conversion therapy. These terms include, but are not limited to: Gender Exploration Therapy (“therapeutic exploration of gender diversity”), Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE), Sexual Attraction Fluidity Exploration in Therapy (SAFE-T), eliminating, reducing, or decreasing unwanted frequency or intensity of unwanted Same-Sex Attraction (SSA), reparative therapy, sexual reorientation efforts, ex-gay ministry, promoting healthy sexuality, addressing sexual addictions and disorders, sexuality counseling, encouraging relational and sexual wholeness, and healing sexual brokenness.

To learn more about the conversion therapy ban, visit the City of Duluth’s page titled “About Duluth’s Conversion Therapy Ban” or by reading Ordinance 19-071.

“We firmly support the conversion therapy ban and believe everyone should have access to healthcare that fully supports their gender identity and sexual orientation.” - Duluth NQT2SLGBIA Commission

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