Supreme Court Overturns Colorado’s Ban on LGBTQ Youth Conversion Therapy
The Supreme Court issued an 8-1 ruling on Tuesday in favor of therapist Kaley Chiles. The justices found that Colorado’s law banning conversion therapy for minors violated Chiles’s First Amendment free speech rights.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion. He said the First Amendment protects against enforcing orthodoxy in thought or speech. The court held that Colorado’s measure regulated speech, not conduct, and therefore could not be upheld as written.
Legal reasoning and wider effects
The court concluded the Colorado law “censors speech based on viewpoint,” Gorsuch wrote. Because the measure targeted therapists’ speech, the case must return to lower courts for further proceedings.
The decision could reach beyond Colorado. More than 20 states have laws that limit conversion therapy for minors. The ruling could affect other medical regulations where treatment relies heavily on clinician speech.
Context in the court’s recent jurisprudence
The court’s 6-3 conservative majority has favored free speech and religious claims in recent years. Past rulings include challenges to state regulations that officials said compelled speech. The justices have also decided landmark LGBTQ cases on marriage and workplace protections.
Dissent and concerns about medical regulation
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the sole dissenter. She read a summary of her opinion in court and emphasized the distinction between speech and professional conduct.
Jackson warned the decision could usher in “unprofessional and unsafe medical care.” She said the fallout from undermining health-care regulation could be catastrophic.
What conversion therapy is and how Colorado’s law worked
Conversion therapy aims to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity. It encourages gay or lesbian youth to identify as heterosexual. It pushes transgender children to accept the sex assigned at birth.
Colorado’s law prohibited licensed therapists from providing these practices to minors. The ban did not apply to religious entities or family members.
Medical consensus and research
Major medical organizations strongly discredit conversion therapy. The American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics oppose the practice.
Studies show conversion therapy is ineffective and can be harmful. Research links the practice to increased suicide risk among those subjected to it.
Next steps and national repercussions
Lower courts will now reconsider the case in light of the high court’s ruling. The Supreme Court’s action effectively overturns a Colorado prohibition on conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth. The outcome may shape legal challenges to similar bans nationwide.
Filmogaz.com will monitor further developments as the litigation proceeds through the courts.
