12th Ohio city votes to ban anti-LGBTQ+ conversion therapy

Watch a previous NBC4 report on Lorain's conversion therapy ban in the video player above.

LORAIN, Ohio (WCMH) -- A northeast Ohio city voted this week to become 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.

Lorain City Council passed the ordinance unanimously on Tuesday to prohibit healthcare professionals in the city from engaging in conversion therapy with minors. The measure was propelled by 22-year-old Lorain resident Brandon West, who argued conversion therapy has no place in Lorain "as it causes lasting harm, increases risk of youth suicide and spreads a message of intolerance."

"By passing this ordinance, we are taking a stand for love and acceptance and the right for everyone to live their truth without fear or shame," said West during Tuesday's city council meeting, garnering applause from the audience. "This is a preventative measure that will make Lorain a safer and more inclusive place for all."

The city is joining 11 other municipalities in Ohio, including Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Reynoldsburg, that have already banned the practice within city limits. Like those measures, Lorain's ordinance 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.

Practitioners of conversion therapy operate under an "erroneous assumption that non-heterosexual, non-cisgender identities are mental disorders," Lorain's ordinance states. Those practitioners often employ "averse conditioning," which includes the use of electric shock, deprivation of food and liquid, smelling salts and chemical-induced nausea.

Emily Cole, another Lorain resident who spoke during Tuesday's meeting, noted a 2022 study from The Trevor Project the found the practice of conversion therapy on LGBTQ+ youth, and its associated harms, costs the U.S. an estimated $9.23 billion annually. The study also found more than 508,000 LGBTQ+ youth across the nation were at risk of being subjected to conversion therapy the previous year.

"The dangers of conversion therapy are varied and vast," said Cole. "The study highlights the reality that forcing conversion therapy onto LGBTQ+ youth had deep and detrimental costs from both a humanistic and economic standpoint."

Ohio cities are passing bans on conversion therapy because Ohio's general assembly hasn't advanced a proposal to implement 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 Lorain's measure, the legislation didn't receive a single committee hearing.

At the time, 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 in effect after the ACLU failed to persuade a Franklin County judge that the measure is unconstitutional.

In the meantime, West told NBC4 he is taking the first steps to propose a similar conversion therapy ban that would be implemented throughout all of Cuyahoga County. The 22-year-old advocate noted his gratitude to Lorain's council for taking the time to learn about conversion therapy's harmful impact, especially after some members seemed reluctant to pass the ordinance during the July meeting.

"Seeing that everyone seemed to research more and voted unanimously, it shows to me that they actually took the time to consider [the ordinance]," said West. "I felt really heard and seen, and that my work was finally coming to fruition."