When used in this article, the following words, terms, and phrases shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
CLERGY OR RELIGIOUS OFFICIAL. As defined by M.S. § 148.9075, recognized religious officials, including ministers, priests, rabbis, imams, Christian Science practitioners, and other persons recognized by the Minnesota Board of Psychology, conducting counseling activities that are within the scope of the performance of their regular recognizable religious denomination or sect, as defined in current federal tax regulations, if the religious official does not hold them self out as a
, as defined in this article, and the official remains accountable to the established authority of the religious denomination or sect.
CONVERSION THERAPY. Any practice, conduct, or treatment by a
, as defined in this article, that seeks to change an individual's
or
, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender. CONVERSION THERAPY shall not include any mental health services that provides assistance to an individual undergoing gender transition, or mental health services that facilitates an individual's acceptance, support, understanding, and identity exploration and development, including
-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices, as long as the mental health services does not seek to change an individual's
or
. The term conversion therapy is also sometimes named reparative therapy.
GENDER EXPRESSION. A person's expression of
through appearance and behavior, including how an individual believes that they are perceived by others.
GENDER IDENTITY. A person's sense of self as a woman, man, another gender, or genderless. When a person's gender identity or
and sex assigned at birth are not congruent, the individual may identify along the transgender spectrum.
MINOR. Any person under the age of 18 years of age.
PROVIDER. An individual who is licensed, certified, or registered under the laws of the State of Minnesota, including mental health practitioners and mental health professionals, as defined in M.S. § 245.462, to provide mental health services. Providers include, but are not limited to, physicians specializing in the practice of psychiatry, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, social workers, clinical counselors, behavioral clinicians or therapists, nurses, or any other persons conducting or practicing such mental health services.
SEXUAL ORIENTATION. A component of identity that includes a person's sexual and emotional attraction to another person and the behavior or social affiliation, or both, that may result from this attraction. A person may be attracted to men, women, both, neither, and/or to people who are genderqueer, androgynous, or have other
. Individuals may identify as lesbian, gay, heterosexual, bisexual, queer, pansexual, or asexual, among others.
VULNERABLE ADULT. Any person 18 years of age or older and who meets the definition of vulnerable adult in M.S. § 626.5572.
(Ord. 2021-3, passed 4-19-2021, effective 1-3-2022)