Out in Ohio: Advocate leads movement to ban anti-LGBTQ+ conversion therapy

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A young advocate leading the charge to ban anti-LGBTQ+ “conversion therapy” joins Nexstar’s NBC4’s LGBTQ+ show “Out in Ohio,” along with the attorney and county councilman who have joined his effort.

Digital Reporter David Rees hosts “Out in Ohio” and speaks with advocate Brandon West, Cuyahoga County Councilman Robert Schleper, and attorney Sarah Kolick.

Condemned by the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, conversion therapy uses various techniques to attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. While the Ohio Statehouse has been reluctant to pass a statewide ban, more than a dozen cities have approved their own local prohibitions.

Lorain, a northeast Ohio city and West’s hometown, is among the most recent municipalities to pass a conversion therapy ban, thanks to his advocacy. West said he was inspired to take on the effort after learning Ohio ranks among the top five states with the highest number of identified licensed and unlicensed practitioners of conversion therapy, according to The Trevor Project.

That initial ban advanced quickly: After being introduced in July last year, Lorain City Council voted in September to approve West’s proposal, prohibiting healthcare professionals in the city from engaging in conversion therapy with minors. West described the process as “exhilarating” and “shocking,” given the messages he’s received from community members.

“The feedback I’ve gotten from it has been remarkable,” said West. “I got so many messages from so many Lorain families, and even some in surrounding cities, saying how comfortable, either with themselves or their own kids, going and getting regular supportive talk therapy now knowing that conversion therapy was banned, knowing that it was safe to do so without the fear of trying to be forced to be changed from who they were.”

Since then, West’s advocacy has only expanded. Shortly after the Lorain ban passed, he began pushing for a similar ordinance in Cuyahoga County. He also inspired Westerville to become the 13th Ohio city to ban the practices earlier this year, and rallied the mayors of Athens, Westerville and several other municipalities to sign onto a letter urging others to follow suit.

Now, West is focusing on the proposed county-wide ban in Cuyahoga, which had its first reading in July, while also beginning preliminary work on ordinances in Vermillion, Elyria, Avon Lake and Wellington. Throughout the process, he said it’s been eye-opening to see how one person can drive meaningful change.

“Knowing that I can do that with help of others and create a movement around kindness and banning such a harmful practice, really inspires me to do more,” said West. “It really makes me feel so thankful and grateful for all the people’s support and how far we’ve come in just a year.”

Schleper, the sponsor of Cuyahoga’s proposed ban, said West approached him even before he was elected to the county council. Schleper said the ordinance is long overdue and is “a no-brainer” given it would support and protect LGBTQ+ youth. While the most recent attempt to pass a statewide ban failed to gain Republican support, he emphasized that the issue shouldn’t be political or partisan.

“If there’s any practice that’s going on in Cuyahoga County or anywhere that causes adolescents and young people, LGBTQ+ students to either attempt to take their life or feel that they should take their life, I think that that practice should be illegal,” said Schleper. “As a councilman here in Cuyahoga County, part of my job is to do what I can to protect people and life people up.”

As the council’s first openly gay member, Schleper said he’s committed to advocating for the LGBTQ+ community while ensuring that all minority communities have a voice. Although a recent national report found LGBTQ+ people in Ohio face a “high risk” for inequality, Schleper wants people to know that they can still lead fulfilling lives.

“Those of us in our community get typecast or we’re told to fit within a particular box, and I reject that ideology,” said Schleper. “I’m married, I’ve been with my husband for 17 years, we have a six-year-old daughter, we live in the suburbs, I mow my lawn on Saturday, we have a ‘normal life,’ and I want young people to understand that.”

Kolick said she was inspired by West’s determination to make a difference. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community herself, she said it’s been a privilege to work with someone equally passionate about protecting youth from discredited practices like conversion therapy.

Kolick explained that conversion therapy refers to a range of harmful and discredited techniques aimed at changing someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Some practitioners use physical methods such as inducing vomiting, smelling salts, electroshock, or inflicting pain while exposing youth to same-sex imagery.

“I think the very fact that they’re trying to change something that’s innate to a person, that’s essential to their identity, it’s intrinsically harmful and inflicts psychological harm,” said Kolick. “Conversion therapy reinforces those internalized stereotypes, that stigmatization that we have internalized by being part of a wider heteronormative society.”

These practices have been linked to increased rates of suicide, depression and anxiety among LGBTQ+ youth, Kolick noted. A study by The Trevor Project in the American Journal of Public Health found that LGBTQ youth who underwent conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to report having attempted suicide and more than 2.5 times as likely to report multiple suicide attempts in the past year.

“There is something devastating about being told there’s something flawed and medically wrong about you just because you love differently, you express your gender differently than what’s expected,” said Kolick. “That’s why we see such high rates of depression, anxiety among youth that are subjected to conversion therapy. It’s all those stereotypes, stigmatization almost on steroids.”

Kolick said it’s been difficult to locate survivors of conversion therapy due to concerns over confidentiality, privacy, and potential retaliation. However, she and West uncovered a recent local study indicating that at least 7% of LGBTQ+ youth in Cuyahoga, Lorain, Lake, and Geauga counties reported receiving some form of conversion therapy.

“I think that statistic isn’t reflective, I think the problem is much more pervasive than the stats because a lot of people don’t realize what they’ve gone through is conversion therapy, or they’re too afraid to report,” said Kolick.