Ban on anti-gay 'conversion therapy' fails in Jackson County Legislature by 1 vote

It’s already illegal for health care providers to practice so-called conversion therapy in parts of Jackson County, but the failed ordinance would have outlawed use of the discredited practice on minors across the county and made it easier to report abuse.
The Jackson County Legislature failed on Monday to pass a ban on so-called conversion therapy, the scientifically discredited practice that seeks to “convert” people to a heterosexual lifestyle or traditional gender roles.

The ordinance — which would have enacted the strictest ban in the metro — needed six votes to pass. Five legislators voted yes and three abstained. Legislator Sean Smith was the only no vote.

Legislator Jalen Anderson, one of the co-sponsors of the ordinance, called the vote “disgraceful.”