U.S. Supreme Court Listens to Colorado’s Challenge of Transformational Therapy for Minors
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear the Colorado case to determine whether state and local governments can enforce laws that prohibit 2SLGBTQ+ children’s conversion therapy.
Conservative-led courts are litigating President Donald Trump’s transgender-centered action, including a ban on military service and ending federal funding for gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
The judge also heard debates in the Tennessee case about whether the state prohibits the treatment of trans-sex minors in violation of the constitution. But they have not made a decision yet.
Colorado is about half the practice that prohibits attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity through consultation. Sinful practices have been condemned in the fields of psychology and counseling in Canada and the United States.
The question is whether the law violates the counselor’s right to speak. Defenders of such laws believe they regulate the behavior of professionals licensed by the state.
The Denver 10th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld state law. Atlanta’s 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals defeated Florida’s local ban.
In 2023, the court rejected similar challenges despite the federal appeals court weighing state injunctions and making different rulings.
At the time, three judges, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas, said they would discuss the issue. Four judges are required to conduct the review. The nine-member court usually does not disclose how the judge votes at this stage of the case, so it is unclear who may offer a fourth vote.
The case will be debated in the court’s new term, which begins in October. The appeal of Colorado Springs counselor Kaley Chiles was brought by the Alliance Defence of Freedom (ADF), a conservative legal organization that has seen cases involving high-profile social issues frequently appear in court in recent years.
ADF attorney Jim Campbell said on a call to reporters on Monday that Chile had to reject clients because of the law, despite his refusal to say how many people he said.
Chile said the law could fine $5,000 and suspend the license, “interference with my ability to serve customers with integrity.”
Members of Congress shared a moment of solidarity after unanimously passing a bill banning conversion therapy, a practice designed to change individuals’ sexual orientation.
One of the earlier cases of the ADF was a 5-4 verdict in 2018, where a judge ruled that California could not force the state-licensed anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center to provide information about abortion.
Chilean lawyers rely heavily on the decision when they ask the court to bring her case. They wrote that Chile did not “seek ‘heal’ customers of same-sex attractions or change their sexual orientation.”
Lawyers in Colorado wrote that lawmakers took action to regulate professional conduct, “based on overwhelming evidence that efforts to change children’s sexual orientation or gender identity are insecure and ineffective.”
Victor Szymanski looks like he has it all. But starting from the summer after 11th grade, he was forced to take a “repair therapy” course designed to “heal” gays. Now, he is pushing for legislation to “correctly address translational therapy as a form of emotional and psychological abuse.”
