A Florida city and county will pay nearly $885,000 after their ban on so-called “conversion therapy” for minors was struck down. Palm Beach County and the City of Boca Raton have been ordered to pay $884,374 in attorney fees and $659 in costs to counselors Robert Otto and Julie Hamilton. The pair sued, claiming the ban violated their First Amendment rights. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in their favor in 2022, effectively nullifying all similar local bans in Florida.
Conversion therapy, also called “reparative therapy,” has been widely condemned. The World Health Organization says the practice “lacks medical justification and represents a serious threat to the health and well-being of affected people,” linking it to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts. Every major U.S. medical association has denounced the practice. While the Florida ruling stands, courts in other regions—including the Third, Ninth, and 10th Circuits—have upheld similar bans.
The U.S. Supreme Court is now weighing Chiles v. Salazar, a Colorado case challenging another ban, with a decision expected next June. Currently, 23 states and Washington, D.C. prohibit conversion therapy for minors.
