County could be Ohio's first to ban anti-LGBTQ+ conversion therapy

LORAIN, Ohio (WCMH) -- A 22-year-old Ohioan who championed his home city to ban anti-LGBTQ+ techniques known as "conversion therapy" is now advocating for a neighboring county to do the same.

Brandon West is calling on the Cuyahoga County Council to pass an ordinance prohibiting healthcare professionals from engaging with minors in conversion therapy, used to attempt to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. West's advocacy comes after he led the effort to make his home city of Lorain the 12th in the state to ban the practice.

"Even if there [wasn't] any conversion therapy in practice in Lorain specifically, it still shows to the community that Lorain was there to support its LGBTQ+ residents and to make sure they were safe and sound living here," said West at a Brecksville Broadview Heights Pride panel on Nov. 13. "It also acts as a preventative measure."

Now, West is looking for a member of the county's council to sponsor the proposal and hold a public hearing for it. Should the council pass West's ordinance, Cuyahoga will be the first in Ohio to ban conversion therapy across an entire county.

Lorain joined 11 other cities in Ohio, including Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo and Reynoldsburg, that have banned the practice within city limits. Like Lorain's measure, the proposed Cuyahoga ordinance echoes the American Medical Association, which says the assumption that someone's sexual orientation or gender identity can be changed is not based on scientific evidence.

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

"Survivors [of conversion therapy] are 8.4 times more likely to attempt suicide, and 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression," said West. "Conversion therapy is recognized internationally as a human rights violation. It infringes on personal autonomy and health."

West also noted a 2022 study from The Trevor Project 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 said more than 508,000 LGBTQ+ youth across the nation were at risk of being subjected to conversion therapy the previous year.

Sarah Kolick, a practicing attorney in Cuyahoga County, is joining West in the effort and called on those attending the Nov. 13 Pride panel to aid in educating about the dangers of conversion therapy.

"Ohio is still one of the top five states where this practice happens, it happens underground. We need a ban in place," said Kolick. "Because we can't look to Columbus to protect our children, we are taking matters into our own hands and looking at counties and cities to do the right thing."

Cities like Lorain 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.