Council May Ban Conversion Therapy

According to the Courier, a revised ordinance that would ban conversion therapy will make its initial appearance before the City Council Monday night.

This comes after council members voted down the original proposed ordinance two weeks ago. Now, the first reading of the amended version will be heard during the 5:30 p.m. meeting in the council chambers at City Hall.

With this version of the ordinance, people could make a complaint to the city attorney or the human rights commission. Then the issue would be looked into with a letter sent out if the process goes forward. That would allow the city to report a potential ethical violation to medical licensing bodies.

The council has the potential to suspend the rules and pass all three readings at once.

Before the ordinance is read, a resolution for supporting LGBTQ+ Waterloo residents will be up for approval. If passed, it states that the city “affirms, defends and stands in allyship with our LGBTQ+ citizens and their fundamental human rights’’ and affirms their “constitutional duty to defend and ensure the equal protection of all citizens” regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.