KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is promising a replacement ordinance for the conversion therapy ban the City Council recently repealed.
Lucas, in a virtual town hall Sunday, said that new proposed legislation could be made public as early as Monday. He said a new version of the ordinance would be “among the toughest in the country” that will stand up to legal challenges.
“What we have done over recent weeks is tried to craft, and I think you will see very soon, new legislation that looks to ban harmful therapies that lead to suicides, that lead to self-harm,” Lucas said.
Lucas’ comments come as the fallout continues after the City Council’s recent vote to repeal its ban on conversion therapy, the scientifically discredited practice of attempting to change a gay or transgender person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
An online petition posted Friday — led by Justice Horn, a candidate for the Jackson County Legislature — aims to ban Lucas and six council members from participating in Kansas City’s Pride Parade. As of Monday morning, more than 400 people have signed the petition.
Lucas did not mention the petition during the town hall, but he said he’s dealt with negative response from constituents before, calling it a “tough part of the job.” He also said the City Council’s communication with the public regarding the plan should have been better, but the city is focused on enacting an ordinance that works.
“I think what we need to do is make sure that we repeal and replace and come up with something that’s better,” Lucas said. “I think we have that, something that’s better, and I expect us to be able to roll that out for you sometime pretty soon.”
U.S. Supreme Court ruling and free speech
The City Council’s vote on May 21 came as the Missouri attorney general’s office is suing the city on behalf of a group of Christian counselors. The case against the city was bolstered by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in March that found a similar ban in Colorado is unconstitutional for limiting free speech. It also likely made the city’s ordinance unenforceable.
The council members narrowly passed the ordinance repealing the ban with a 7-5 vote, with some voting against the measure as a form of protest. Lucas voted to repeal the ordinance and was joined by council members Ryana Parks-Shaw, Darell Curls, Melissa Robinson, Nathan Willet, Kevin O’Neil and Johnathan Duncan, who faced significant backlash from his constituents.
In response to the court ruling, Colorado lawmakers enacted a new state law that allows people who experience conversion therapy to seek civil lawsuits against organizations so they can claim damages.
New version of conversion therapy ban?
Lucas told the online audience Sunday that Kansas City’s new version of a ban would likely be different. He said the city does not have the legal authority to allow for civil lawsuits because it would require state legislation.
But he noted Kansas City’s previous ban included a criminal law punishment, unlike the Colorado ban, and a new ban would again include that kind of enforcement.
“We are taking real steps to actually have a stronger ordinance, something that will stand the test within the courts,” Lucas said.
