Supreme Court to Weigh Colorado Ban on Therapy for Gender Identity Counseling

By Anna Alejo | CBS Colorado

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on a case set to determine if Colorado’s ban on so-called “conversion therapy” for minors violates the free speech clause of the First Amendment.

The Lee family in Wellington filed an amicus brief in support of overturning Colorado’s ban on the therapy. A Colorado law passed in 2019 restricts therapists from trying to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of kids under the age of 18. They opposed the law after they say it limited access for their daughter to receive therapy that met their family’s needs.

“They are forbidden by law from going down that path of helping a child through their gender confusion versus further into that confusion and so there’s been lots of parents who have been unable to seek the help they need and that their child needs,” said Erin Lee.

The Colorado case, Chiles v. Salazar, was filed by Colorado Springs counselor Kaley Chiles who argues Colorado’s ban unconstitutionally censors her conversations about gender dysphoria and sexuality with young clients. 

Supporters of the ban, however, say conversion therapy is inhumane and that its harm to young people is backed by science.

Steven Haden founded Envision You, an organization that works to bridge the gap in mental health services for individuals in the LGBTQ community. He says Colorado’s law does not limit speech.

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