Lexington moves forward ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth
A committee of the Lexington council voted to approve a local ordinance banning the now-discredited practice of conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth.
Under the proposed ordinance, any state-certified provider would be prohibited from offering any type of treatment that encourages a patient to change sexual orientation or gender identity. The local ban does not apply to ministers or pastors unless they also have state certification.
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission would investigate if there was a complaint.
Ray Sexton, executive director of the human rights commission, said if a state-certified provider is found guilty of providing conversion therapy to anyone under 18, a hearing officer would determine the punishment. The Human Rights Commission does not have the legal authority to revoke a state-certified license.
The commission can ask for monetary damages, Sexton told the General Government and Social Services Committee of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council on Tuesday.
Councilman Fred Brown was the only council member not to vote on the ordinance, saying he had many questions about the legality. The remaining members of the committee voted to move the ordinance to the full 15-member council.
“I worry about government intervention of parental control,” said Brown. Brown said he may later offer amendments to the ordinance.
Councilwoman Susan Lamb, one of the co-sponsors of the ordinance, said the science is clear — conversion therapy on youth is harmful. Twenty states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico have banned the practice. More than 70 local governments have also banned the therapy that more than three dozen medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, condemn.
“The science is undeniable. Conversion therapy does more harm than good,” Lamb said.
Craig Cammack, the LGBTQ liaison for Mayor Linda Gorton, said research shows seven providers in Fayette County practice conversion therapy. Statewide, there are 57 providers, according to Ban Conversion Therapy Kentucky, a group pushing for a statewide ban.
Research over decades has shown that trying to convince people to change their sexual orientation or gender identity is detrimental, Cammack said. One study estimated that more than 350,000 youth under 18 had been subjected to conversion therapy.
A study from San Francisco State University showed youth who had undergone conversion therapy were 5.9 times more likely to suffer from depression and 3.4 times more likely to abuse drugs.
Dozens of local groups, including the Catholic Diocese of Lexington, support the local ban, Cammack said.
No one spoke in opposition to the ban during Tuesday’s meeting.
Efforts to ban the practice statewide have stalled in recent years. Two bills, one in the House and one in the Senate, have not been assigned to a committee or received a hearing so far this legislative session.
Covington and Louisville enacted similar local bans last year.
The full council will likely take its first vote on the ordinance at the April 13 council work session.
This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 4:49 PM.
