The US Supreme Court listened to arguments on Tuesday from a Christian therapist challenging a Colorado law prohibiting “conversion therapy” for minors exploring their gender identity or sexual orientation. Kaley Chiles, a licensed mental health counselor, contends that the law infringes on her freedom of speech under the First Amendment by preventing her from discussing these topics with minors.
During oral arguments, Chiles’s attorney, James Campbell, stated that Colorado restricts counselors like Chiles from assisting minors in addressing gender and sexuality issues that the state disfavors. He argued that the First Amendment does not allow for such censorship.
Enacted in 2019, Colorado’s Minor Conversion Therapy Law bars licensed mental health professionals from attempting to alter the sexual orientation or gender identity of patients under 18. Conversion therapy is outlawed in over 20 US states and various European countries, with the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association opposing its practice.
In its submission to the Supreme Court, Colorado highlighted the growing evidence linking conversion therapy to heightened levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Chiles is being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal group, in the Supreme Court case dominated by conservative justices.
Chiles’s legal team emphasized in their petition her belief that individuals thrive when living in accordance with what they perceive as God’s design, including their biological sex. They argued that amidst a mental health crisis nationwide, many minors grappling with gender dysphoria seek counseling similar to what Chiles aims to offer, focusing on aligning their thoughts and bodies rather than undergoing potential harmful medical interventions.
Despite lower courts ruling in favor of Colorado, Chiles has escalated the case to the Supreme Court, where conservative justices hold a 6-3 majority. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump, in his second term, announced the government’s recognition of only two genders – male and female – and issued an executive order limiting gender transition medical procedures for individuals under 19 years old.
In a separate ruling, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to uphold a Tennessee law prohibiting hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and gender transition surgery for minors. The Supreme Court is set to review challenges this term to state laws in Idaho and West Virginia that restrict transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports, a contentious issue in the ongoing American cultural debates.