22-07-2025
Why Cuyahoga could be first Ohio county to ban anti-LGBTQ+ conversion therapy
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Northeast Ohio residents are calling on Cuyahoga County leaders to join municipalities across the state in outlawing anti-LGBTQ+ practices known as 'conversion therapy.'
The Cuyahoga County Council introduced an ordinance on Tuesday to prohibit healthcare professionals from engaging in conversion therapy with minors and some adults deemed 'vulnerable.' Long considered 'anti-LGBTQ+,' the techniques use talk therapy and occasionally more invasive methods to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, like reducing or eliminating same-sex attraction.
'I'm casting my voice in favor of this county-wide ban, not just for myself but for the majority of my classmates who did not make it to see this day,' said Otto Tyson, a Cleveland resident and conversion therapy survivor, during the meeting. 'This is your chance to be on the right side of our county's history, to be the trusted adult in the room.'
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The proposed ordinance is spearheaded by Brandon West, a 23-year-old Ohioan who championed his home city of Lorain to ban conversion therapy last year and then began advocating for Cuyahoga to do the same. His work is having a ripple effect: After Westerville became the 13th Ohio city to ban the practices earlier this year, the city's mayor joined several municipality leaders in urging other towns to do the same.
West previously told NBC4 he is also pushing for prohibitions to be introduced in Vermilion and Oberlin. He said during Tuesday's meeting that the ordinances in other Ohio cities has encouraged youth to seek mental healthcare given it's guaranteed they won't be subjected to conversion therapy.
'After we passed a ban in Lorain, I had many messages come through from families with gay or trans kids, saying how they finally felt protected,' said West. 'Protected enough to get proper mental healthcare. [Lorain's] a city of 60,000-plus people. Imagine the effect it would have on a county with over 1 million.'
Stephanie Ash, a director for the National Association of Social Workers' Ohio chapter, said during Tuesday's meeting there is no scientific basis for conversion therapy, calling the techniques 'physiological abuse' and 'rooted in the false and dangerous belief that LGBTQIA+ identities are disorders in need of correction.' She pointed to research that found youth who are subjected to conversion therapy face higher rates of depression, anxiety, self harm, and suicide.
'We know that one supportive adult in a young person's life can reduce the risk of suicide by 40%,' Ash said. 'This ordinance gives us the opportunity to be that supportive adult through our policies, our protections and our values. Banning conversion therapy is not about politics, it's about saving lives.'
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Brooks Boron, the president of Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, said conversion therapy is a 'discredited practice based on the false and harmful premise that being LGBTQIA+ is a disorder,' citing condemnations from the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association and American Academy of Pediatrics.
Boron argued the ban is needed given the practices continue 'to be inflicted upon our community and our youth across the state.' While Democratic legislators at the Ohio Statehouse reintroduced a bill in February to prohibit the practices statewide, the proposal has failed to gain support across the legislative aisle.
'Passing this ban sends a clear and powerful message that Cuyahoga County values its LGBTQIA+ residents, especially its youth, and that we are committed to protecting them from abuse that masquerades as treatment,' said Boron. 'This action would align our country with other municipalities across Ohio and the nation who've taken the stand to protect LGBTQIA+ individuals from this harmful practice.'
Cuyahoga's ordinance now heads to the county's Health, Human Services and Aging Committee for review. If approved, practitioners could face civil penalties and the relevant licensing board, commission or entity tasked with review of professional conduct would be notified of violations by the county director of Health and Human Services.
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