What does it take to make change? Sometimes it takes a letter.
Ohio-based activist Brandon West is just 23-tears-old and has already been advocating for LGBTQ+ civil rights for years. This spring he reached out to several Ohio mayors whose cities have already banned conversion therapy in hopes that they would sign “a joint statement in support of banning conversion therapy” that would also encourage more cities to follow their lead. As of last week, West’s emailing and petitioning has worked. Five mayors of Ohio towns signed, and there are potentially even more to come.
In Ohio, mayors of several cities spoke out again conversion therapy, which is still legal in many other cities. www.youtube.com
Conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy, includes “efforts to discourage or change behaviors related to LGBTQ+ identities and expressions,” according to the American Psychological Association, or APA. “These efforts assume that being LGBTQ+ is an illness that must be cured, and any behaviors that indicate or reflect LGBTQ+ identities must be avoided.” The aforementioned “efforts,” the APA shares, include “an array of psychosocially harmful techniques, including public shaming or inducing adverse physiological reactions,” as well as “the use of electric shock, deprivation of food and liquid, smelling salts and chemical-induced nausea,” according to NBC4.
Conversion therapy is understood by organizations like the APA, the American Medical Association, and the Academy of Pediatrics to have deep and long-term negative psychological impacts on young people, causing “mental health problems such as depression, sexual problems, low self-esteem, and suicide.” It is currently illegal in 22 states and Washington, D.C., but it is still legal in Ohio on a state level despite efforts to introduce an act banning the practice in 2023.
West is working to change that, and this latest effort has made great strides. According to Ohio’s NBC4, the mayors who have signed this letter are Toledo’s Wade Kapszukiewicz, Lakewood’s Meghan George, Athens’ Steve Patterson, Akron’s Shammas Malik, and Westerville’s Kenneth Wright.
“By passing local ordinances that prohibit conversion therapy on minors, our cities have taken an important step toward protecting young people from psychological harm and sending a clear message: every person deserves to be affirmed for who they are,” the letter reads. “While we acknowledge that statewide and federal protections remain critical, we also believe that local leadership has the power to lead with compassion, courage, and care.” It goes on to show support for LGBTQ+ youth, to understand their mayoral stance as one of public health and personal safety, and asks other leaders to follow suit so young people can feel cared for.
This is not West’s first success making change in Ohio’s relationship to conversion therapy, either. Last year, NBC4shares, West’s efforts led his own city of Lorain, Ohio to also unanimously pass an ordinance banning conversion therapy. He was 22 at the time, and his efforts continue on the county level as he is currently urging Cuyahoga County and the city of Vermilion, Ohio to adopt anti-conversion-therapy legislation. If he succeeds, NBC4 shares, “Cuyahoga will be the first in Ohio to ban conversion therapy across an entire county.”
West is also the newest member of LGBTQ+ Lorain County, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the county’s queer individuals and allies. As he wrote on Instagram, “I can’t wait to do more good and more positive change throughout Lorain County and beyond!” Indeed, here’s to many more years of positive change to come.
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