Akron joins list of cities to ban conversion therapy for minors

Counseling aimed at changing a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity has been banned in Akron, after City Council unanimously approved a measure that had been introduced at committee Monday afternoon.

The ordinance was introduced during Monday's meeting of council's Rules Committee by Mayor Dan Horrigan along with council members Tara Mosley, Nancy Holland, Shammas Malik and Sharon Connor. Council's approval Monday night makes Akron the 11th city in Ohio to pass a similar ban.

After council passed the measure, Horrigan released a statement saying he is proud the city has passed the prohibition.

“Akron has proven itself time and time again to be a welcoming, diverse place and taking this step is another way of making sure our community is inclusive of everyone," he said. "LGBTQ+ youth who are not supported for who they are, are more likely to attempt suicide, face homelessness, experience high levels of depression, and engage in high levels of substance use. I’m hopeful that this step sends a clear message to our LGBTQ+ youth that this city supports them for exactly who they are.”

According to the ordinance, the practice of conversion therapy has been condemned by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Counseling Association and the American Medical Association.

The legislation states that practitioners of conversion therapy "operate under the erroneous assumption that non-heterosexual, non cisgender identities are mental disorders and that sexual orientation and gender identity can and should be changed."

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It further states practitioners "often use aversive conditioning, which involves the use of electric shock, deprivation of food and liquid, smelling salts and chemically induced nausea," and calls use of such techniques in attempts to change a person's sexual orientation a violation of ethical codes of the American Psychological and Psychiatric associations.

It also cites a 2019 study that reportedly shows LGBTQ+ youth who have undergone such therapy are nearly twice as likely to consider and attempt suicide than those who had not gone through such therapy.

Alana Jochum, executive director of Equality Ohio, who addressed council during committee hearings earlier in the afternoon, said a statewide ban has been in the works for years but remains unapproved.

She quoted a suicide note written by Leelah Alcorn, a transgender Ohio teenager who had been subjected to some of the aversive techniques and programmed her message to post after her death on the social media site Tumblr in 2014, drawing worldwide attention.

"This is a critical step needed to protect children from malfeasance disguised as care," Jochum said.

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In addition to Akron, Jochum said Ohio cities that have passed similar laws include Athens, Kent, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Columbus, Dayton, Lakewood, Reynoldsburg and Toledo.

Akron Civil Rights Commission will take complaints, enforce

The ordinance will take effect immediately and makes it unlawful for any health care professional to knowingly engage in conversion therapy with a minor.

Stephanie Marsh, chief communications officer for the city, said the ordinance provides a mechanism for policing the practice of conversion therapy.

"The city does not have a count of the specific number of how many organizations were participating in conversion therapy prior to the ban," she said. "We also didn’t have a mechanism for receiving complaints of conversion therapy before this, since it was legal in Akron until last night. Now, complaints can be filed with the Akron Civil Rights Commission and we’ll be better able to track this practice in our community."

Under the new law, the Akron Civil Rights Commission will investigate and consider complaints and may create additional rules and procedures regarding investigations, orders and penalties. The commission was established after Akron City Council passed non-discrimination legislation in 2017. Complaints can be filed at akronohio.gov/ACRC.

While it was not immediately clear what the penalty for violations would be, the commission presently has the authority to levy a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000 for violations of city ordinances, with the ability to levy fines for continuing violations on a daily basis.

Kent State University survey offers local data on conversion therapy

Out of 701 respondents to a survey, a total of 30 people in the Greater Akron area reported they had experienced conversion therapy. That's according to The Greater Akron LGBTQ+ Community Needs Assessment, conducted by Kent State University between 2020 and 2022 in cooperation with area community organizations. The 30 individuals were age 23 to 66 at the time of the survey.

Andrew Snyder, outreach program director at Kent State, provided a summary of those individuals' responses to questions about their conversion therapy experience:

• About 66% reported experiencing emotional abuse in a religious setting.

• Half reported feeling forced or coerced to participate in conversion therapy. The other half were not forced or coerced to participate in conversion therapy (14) or did not know (1).

• When asked if they participated in conversion therapy in response to a religious or spiritual belief or concern, they answered:

  • Yes (22; 73%)

  • No (7; 23%)

  • I Don’t Know (1)

• Sixteen of the 30 said their experience occurred in Summit, Portage, Stark or Medina counties.

Organizations support city's prohibition on conversion therapy for minors

Several members of local, state and national organizations spoke in support of the legislation while it was in committee and at the City Council meeting Monday.

“It is heartening to see the leaders of Akron come together to protect LGBTQ young people in their communities from the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion ‘therapy,' " said Casey Pick, senior fellow for advocacy and government affairs at The Trevor Project, a non-profit that focuses on suicide prevention among youth. "Research from The Trevor Project has found that LGBTQ youth who have been threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy report more than twice the rate of attempting suicide in the past year than those who have not ... We hope that Akron’s action helps spark leaders across Ohio to follow suit with statewide protections.”

“CANAPI’s staff and board thank Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan and Akron City Council for passing a ban on conversion therapy for minors here in Akron,” saidRebecca Callahan, executive director of CANAPI, an organization that provides education, awareness and outreach to the HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ community in Greater Akron.

“Here at CANAPI, we advocate for the notion that we all thrive when each and every person can live as their true and authentic self, which is why we support inclusive and fair public policy. We applaud all those elected officials who have supported these measures and encourage those cities who have not, to take a look at the statistics and get involved.”

Eric Marotta can be reached at emarotta@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarottaEric.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron now one of 11 Ohio cities that ban conversion therapy for minors