Boca Raton on Tuesday became the 15th
Florida municipality to prohibit therapies that attempt to alter the
sexual orientation or gender identity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender youth.
Such therapies go by names such as
“conversion therapy,” “reparative therapy” or “ex-gay
therapy.”
The Boca Raton City Council voted 4-1
to enact the ordinance at its meeting on Tuesday, with Deputy Mayor
Jeremy Rodgers voting against the ordinance. The ban took effect
immediately.
In a press release from the Palm Beach
County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC), which backed the measure, Mayor
Susan Haynie is quoted denouncing such therapies.
“Every study documented that there is
a significant potential for children undergoing conversion therapy to
be harmed psychologically," Haynie said. “While banning
conversion therapy does not appear to be a priority action in either
Tallahassee or Washington, DC. tonight Boca Raton took another step
to protect LGBTQ youth in our city from the harms of conversion
therapy.”
Other Florida cities with similar bans
include West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach,
Riviera Beach, Miami, Wilton Manors, Miami Beach, Bay Harbor Islands,
El Portal, Key West, Wellington, Tampa and Greenacres. Oakland Park
is expected to approve a similar ban next week.
Earlier this month, Miami-Dade
commissioners voted 7-4 against a similar measure.