The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy” for minors is unconstitutional, delivering a major victory for free speech, religious liberty, and the right of parents and counselors to reject radical gender ideology.
In the case Chiles v. Salazar, the Court struck down Colorado’s 2019 law that prohibited licensed mental health professionals from engaging in any counseling that seeks to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The law defined “conversion therapy” so broadly that it banned even talk therapy aimed at helping children feel more comfortable in their biological bodies or reduce unwanted same-sex attractions.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion, emphasizing that the First Amendment protects the right to speak freely — even when the government disagrees with the message. The Court recognized that Colorado’s law was not neutral but specifically targeted and punished certain viewpoints while allowing counselors to affirm transgender identities and same-sex attraction. The ruling protects licensed counselors like plaintiff Kelly Chiles, who practices talk therapy and respects her clients’ self-determination without imposing predetermined outcomes.
Under Colorado’s law, counselors were forbidden from helping minors align with biological reality but were permitted to encourage gender transition and LGBT affirmation. Only Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, arguing in favor of the state’s power to restrict what she called “substandard care.”
This decision halts one of the most aggressive attempts by a state to silence counselors and parents who reject the notion that children can be born in the wrong body. It affirms that the government cannot force mental health professionals to affirm gender confusion or punish those who uphold biological truth. The ruling stands as a critical defense of free speech and the fundamental right of families to guide their children according to their values and biological reality.