Supreme Court hears challenge to Colorado minor conversion ban

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments in a challenge to Colorado’s 2019 law that bars licensed mental health professionals from providing conversion therapy to minors, a practice aimed at changing a young person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The case, brought by Colorado counselor Kaley Chiles, raises central First Amendment questions about whether the statute regulates professional conduct or impermissibly censors speech, and it could affect similar bans in more than 20 other states.

Chiles, a licensed counselor and evangelical Christian, says the law violates her free speech rights by forbidding voluntary, talk-based therapy for minors who seek help reducing same-sex attraction or aligning gender identity with birth sex. The federal government, through the Justice Department, and Chiles’ legal team urged the court to apply heightened judicial scrutiny, arguing the law discriminates based on viewpoint. Colorado officials contend the statute regulates the practice of licensed professionals to protect minors from a treatment that major medical organizations have found ineffective and potentially harmful.

During more than an hour of oral argument, several...