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Westerville council bans conversion therapy for minors, 5-2
Summary
Westerville City Council passed an ordinance amending Section 5.11 to prohibit licensed providers from practicing conversion therapy on minors; the measure passed 5-2 after public comment and council debate over complaint procedures and legal defensibility.
Westerville City Council on Feb. 18 approved an ordinance amending Section 5.11 of the city’s codified ordinances to ban conversion therapy for minors, passing 5-2.
The ordinance, introduced as Ordinance No. 20 25 02, prohibits “efforts to change an individual's gender identity, sexual orientation, or gender expression” when directed at minors, and routes complaints through the city’s existing nondiscrimination process.
The measure drew more than a dozen speakers during the public-comment period and substantial council discussion. Heidi Weaver Smith, founder of the local nonprofit Love Boldly, said she supported the ordinance: “I wish to speak in support tonight of ordinance 20 20 five-two, which introduces an amendment to ban conversion therapy within the city limits of Westerville.” Several other residents and local advocates described personal or professional reasons to ban the practice; Scott Landing, who said he underwent…
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