Erie City Council is now taking action against a practice aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation.

On Wednesday, Erie City Council approved an ordinance that prohibits mental health practitioners from conducting conversion therapy on a minor.

Conversion therapy is a practice that attempts to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of members within the LGBTQ community.

"We have decades worth of evidence among specialists in this field, that show it is not the correct way to engage in therapy with the LGBTQ youth." said Rev. Rich McCarty of the Greater Erie Alliance for Equality.

Rev. McCarty supports the ban, stating that it does not dictate what pastors can discuss with their congregation.

Rev. McCarty says this type of therapy can lead to anxiety, depression, and suicide.

"What we need to be doing, is helping LGBTQ youth to grow up like any other youth, so that when they come into their adulthood, they can make informed consciousness decisions on how they identify and who they want to be and how they live their life." said Rev. McCarty.

However, conversion therapist counselor Dr. John Diamond calls the ban unconstitutional.

"The LGB community is essentially trying to suppress our God-given constitutional rights of freedom of speech, and freedom of religion,” said Dr. Diamond.  “That's illegal and that's unconstitutional.”

Dr. Diamond says this type of therapy is effective.

"There are many people who come out of the homosexual/transgender lifestyle,” said Dr. Diamond.  “I have some good friends who have come out of that and they would admit that they were trapped in that, and they saw no way out.  So to take every option off the table, really is just bad for the individual."

While Rev. McCarty praises Erie City Council for their unanimous decision, Dr. Diamond says he plans to file a lawsuit against city council, for violating his civil rights.