On March 31, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 to strike down Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors, a decision with national implications for LGBTQ+ rights and professional regulations. In Chiles v. Salazar, the Court found that the 2019 law likely violated the First Amendment by discriminating against the viewpoint of licensed counselors who are also conservative Christians.
Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch emphasized that the state cannot silence speech simply because it disfavors the underlying message. The ruling rejects the argument that “talk therapy” is merely conduct subject to state regulation, instead classifying it as protected expression.
This landmark decision casts immediate doubt on similar bans in nearly 30 other states. While major medical associations maintain that conversion therapy is harmful and ineffective, the Court’s conservative majority prioritized free speech protections for therapists over the state’s interest in prohibiting the practice. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was was the lone dissenter.
