How Ohio city could be 12th in state to ban anti-LGBTQ+ conversion therapy

LORAIN, Ohio (WCMH) -- A 22-year-old Ohioan is leading the effort to make his home city the 12th in the state to ban anti-LGBTQ+ techniques known as "conversion therapy," used to attempt to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

Brandon West is the young adult credited with propelling the recently proposed ordinance in the northeast Ohio city of Lorain that would ban healthcare professionals from engaging in conversion therapy with minors. The measure argues that practitioners of such therapy are under an "erroneous assumption that non-heterosexual, non-cisgender identities are mental disorders."

"Conversion therapy has been widely discredited by medical professionals and is known to cause significant harm, including an increased risk of suicide among LGBTQ+ youth," said West at the proposal's first review at Lorain City Council on July 15. "By passing this ordinance, we can protect our youth, and promote a healthier and more inclusive community."

Council-at-large member Mary Springowski endorsed the measure during the meeting, which aimed to pass immediately "on emergency" rather than requiring the ordinance to be further reviewed at future meetings before approval. While the council opted to not pass West's proposal on emergency, the measure is scheduled for a second review in September.

Springowski dedicated the proposal to her younger brother Sean who came out as gay in 1987 and later died in 2006 from an HIV-related illness. The council member said her parents were accepting of Sean, and welcomed his friends to live in their house when their own parents disowned them for their sexual orientation.

"Some of them went through conversion therapy -- it was nothing short of torture, where a church group or somebody would say, 'We can cure you,'" Springowski said. "It's in memory of all those kids, that have been so desperate and so despairing that they take their own lives, that I'm supporting this."

West, an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community who also previously ran for a seat on Lorain's city council, told NBC4 he was inspired by the 11 other municipalities in Ohio, like Columbus, Dayton, Akron and Toledo, that have already passed measures banning the practice within city limits. West said he reached out to Akron's city council for guidance and used its ordinance as a template before pitching the proposal to Lorain's council.

The measure states that conversion therapy practitioners often employ "averse conditioning," which includes the use of electric shock, deprivation of food and liquid, smelling salts and chemical-induced nausea. Those youth who have undergone this conditioning are nearly twice as likely to consider and attempt suicide, according to a 2019 study by UCLA's Williams Institute that the proposal cites.

West's ordinance also echoes major mental health associations that discredit conversion therapy, including the American Medical Association, which says the assumption that someone's sexual orientation or gender identity can be changed is not based on medical or scientific evidence. Still, more than half a million LGBTQ+ youth in the U.S. were at risk of undergoing conversion therapy in 2021.

"For it to pass, it would mean a lot to me because I know how much that could also mean to others," West said. "If people have gone through conversion therapy who live in Lorain could see that there are city officials, in this divided world of politics, that really do seem to care, at least on the local level, about what's happened to them or what could happen to others."

If passed, those found practicing conversion therapy in Lorain would be guilty of a misdemeanor and sentenced to a minimum fine of $500 up to a maximum fine of $1,000 per occurrence and possibly a jail term that would not exceed one year.

The trend of Ohio cities prohibiting conversion therapy is continuing because the legislature hasn't had the appetite to pass a statewide ban. While former Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) introduced the "Anti-Conversion Therapy Act" last year which would make law in Ohio the same parameters as West's proposal, the legislation didn't receive a single committee hearing.

Still, Lightbody said she wanted to propose the act after she received "overwhelming opposition" to House Bill 68, a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors and trans athletes’ participation in women’s sports. The Statehouse overrode Gov. Mike DeWine's veto of that bill, which is now on pause and under litigation after the ACLU sued Ohio, arguing the measure is unconstitutional.

"As an educator, I cannot support legislation that singles out LGBTQ+ youth and would negate the efforts of schools, teachers, and students to create inclusive classroom environments for all," Lightbody said. "Students learn best in classrooms in which they feel at ease and comfortable, and from teachers they like and trust."

While West's proposed ordinance was not approved on emergency, he said he is confident the measure will pass once it goes through the traditional approval process. He noted that a majority appeared to be in favor of the ordinance at the July 15 meeting, but a few wanted more time to conduct research.

"I really think if they do the correct research, and realize that it would be beneficial, I really do have a positive feeling that it will pass," West said.