ORDINANCE NO. 260453
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Sponsor: Mayor Quinton Lucas
Amending Chapter 50, Code of Ordinances, "Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions" by repealing Section 50-234, "Conversion therapy of minors prohibited," in its entirety, and amending Chapter 38, Article III, Division 1, Sec. 38-113, "Discriminatory Accommodation Practices" for the purpose of creating an exception regarding preferred pronouns.
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WHEREAS, conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy, ex-gay therapy, or sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts, is a range of consistently discredited practices aimed at changing one's sexual orientation or gender identity; and
WHEREAS, a national community of professionals in education, social work, health, mental health and counseling, including the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, has determined again and again that there is no scientifically valid evidence that supports the practice of conversion therapy; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Kansas City, Missouri, has a responsibility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of all people in our community, especially the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including LGBTQ youth; and
WHEREAS, the City Council passed Ordinance No. 190902 and created Section 50-234, Code of Ordinances, that made it unlawful for "any provider to provide conversion therapy or reparative therapy to a minor if the provider receives compensation in exchange for such services;" and
WHEREAS, Ordinance No. 190902 was challenged in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri on February 7, 2025, in Case No. 4:25-cv-00084; and
WHEREAS, the litigation of Ordinance No. 190902 has proceeded to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, in Case No. 0:25-cv-02566, scheduled for oral argument on May 14, 2026; and
WHEREAS, due to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Chiles v. Salazar,...
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