WESTERVILLE, Ohio (Feb. 19, 2025) — Westerville has become the 13th city in Ohio to ban conversion therapy, a widely discredited practice that falsely claims to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Westerville City Council passed the ordinance in a 5-2 vote, prohibiting healthcare professionals in the city from engaging in conversion therapy with minors, according to NBC affiliate WCMH. While one speaker argued the measure infringes on parental rights, all other residents who spoke at the meeting supported the ordinance, citing recent state legislation that opponents deem anti-LGBTQ+.
Why We March
A report by the Williams Institute found that 698,000 LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S. have undergone conversion therapy, with 350,000 experiencing it as minors. The study estimates that 16,000 LGBTQ+ youth will be subjected to conversion therapy by licensed healthcare professionals before they turn 18, while 57,000 will receive it from religious or spiritual advisors.
Medical experts have repeatedly condemned conversion therapy as harmful and ineffective. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry states that these practices “lack scientific credibility and clinical utility” and should never be part of behavioral health treatment for children and adolescents.
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