The Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear a challenge to a Colorado law that prohibits licensed mental health professionals from trying to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of clients who are under 18.
Kaley Chiles, a therapist and evangelical Christian, says the law violates her free speech rights because it prevents her from working with patients who want to live a life “consistent with their faith.”
State lawmakers passed the restrictions in 2019, in response to the findings of major medical associations that conversion therapy is ineffective and potentially harmful for young people. The outcome of the case has implications for Colorado and more than 20 other states with similar laws.
A central question for the justices is whether Colorado’s law is a permissible regulation of professional conduct or an unconstitutional infringement on free speech.
Colorado’s statute prohibits “any practice or treatment” that tries to change a minor’s “gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attraction or feelings toward individuals of the same sex.”
Colorado officials have never enforced the measure, which includes fines up to $5,000 for each violation and possible suspension or revocation of a counselor’s license. The law includes a religious exemption for those “engaged in the practice of religious ministry.”
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The post Supreme Court Hears Free Speech Challenge to Ban on Conversion Therapy appeared first on New York Times.
