Yellow Springs, Ohio, passes resolution condemning conversion therapy, drafts nondiscrimination ordinance

The village of Yellow Springs near Dayton in Southwest Ohio passed a resolution condemning the discredited practice of conversion therapy.

The resolution was introduced by Council Member Brian Housh and passed on Monday, Dec. 15, after a resident asked the council to ban practitioners from inflicting conversion therapy on minors within village limits.

Currently, the village does not have the government structure in place to enforce such an ordinance – a law with penalties – but could pass a resolution as an official, symbolic stance on an issue, in this case condemning the harmful practice.

While introducing the resolution in December, Housh noted he had also drafted an anti-discrimination ordinance enshrining protections for both LGBTQ+ and BIPOC residents — including banning conversion therapy on minors. The drafted ordinance would establish a human rights commission that would work with the Mayor’s Court to create a mechanism within the village to enforce the law.  Housh was voted out of office in the Nov. 4 election, however, so incoming village officials would have to introduce the ordinance.

“It would be really great and important for the next council to pass that anti-discrimination ordinance,” he said. “I hope that this is something that is looked at as soon as possible in the new year.”

Even with an ordinance in place, however, such a ban could be short-lived. The U.S. Supreme court is in the midst of deciding the constitutionality of conversion-therapy bans in Chiles v. Salazar, a case that challenges Colorado’s Minor Conversion Therapy Law.

Resolutions vs. ordinances

Resolutions can “start the conversation” and “educate the populace” on an issue that leads to the introduction of an ordinance, said Dwayne Steward, executive director of the statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Equality Ohio.

“A resolution is definitely movement towards progress, but this can’t be the end of the conversation,” Steward told The Buckeye Flame in a written response.

The conversation should continue through developing “real opportunities for safety for marginalized communities,” he said. Such actions can include directly funding gaps in care for the local transgender community or internal policies that protect LGBTQ+ employees and contractors.

Steward highlighted Equality Ohio’s goal to assist the passage of 30 equality measures by 2029.

“It is imperative that you know who your local, state and national representatives are and that you are in communication with them regularly,” Steward said. “The worst thing we can do right now is disengage.”

Bills to ban conversion therapy on minors statewide have been introduced by Democrats in both the Ohio House and Senate in 2025. Neither bill has received a hearing. 🔥

IGNITE ACTION

• Check out The Buckeye Flame’s 2025-26 Guide to Ohio’s LGBTQ+ Legislation here.