KC council reconsiders conversion therapy ban after repealing it. | Opinion

Following community backlash, the Kansas City Council has now agreed to consider reinstituting a ban on conversion therapy with new language that the mayor says could make it the strongest in the country. In May, the council voted 7-5 to repeal its 2019 ban on conversion therapy, citing legal risk after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The Kansas City Council voted 7-5 in May to repeal its 2019 ban on conversion therapy, citing legal risk after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

FULL STORY: Debating Kansas City’s conversion therapy ban repeal: Inevitable or fixable? Opinion

Here are key takeaways:

• The Kansas City Council voted 7-5 just before Memorial Day weekend to repeal the city’s 2019 ban on conversion therapy, a practice the American Medical Association and American Psychological Association say is harmful and ineffective.
• City attorneys advised repeal after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling found such bans likely violate the First Amendment. Kansas City is already facing a lawsuit over the ordinance.
• After community fallout, the council has agreed to consider a new ban. Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a news release that if passed, Kansas City would have “the strongest new municipal protections in the country, outlawing discredited therapeutic practices that have harmed generations of youth and adults.” Council member Johnathan Duncan has said he regrets voting for the repeal.
• Columnist Mará Rose Williams argues the city should follow Colorado’s lead and rewrite the ordinance to survive First Amendment scrutiny, noting more than 35% of young LGBTQ+ people seriously consider suicide each year.
• Columnist David Hudnall argues the repeal was the right call, citing strained city finances, likely litigation losses and limits on what a local ordinance can accomplish.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.