A Christian group that has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a ban on so-called "conversion therapy" has told Premier Christian News that state laws are “one-sided.”
Conversion therapy is intended to change a person’s same-sex attraction or questioning of their gender identity. The practice is currently banned for under-18s in 27 states, as major medical organizations consider it harmful to mental health.
Colorado therapist Kaley Chiles is represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which argues that her First Amendment right to free speech in her professional practice is being violated.
ADF claims that while the ban was intended to outlaw harmful practices, it has also prevented therapists from engaging in consensual conversations.
“In this situation, Kaley is only engaged in voluntary counseling, so just talking,” attorney Jonathan Scruggs told Premier.
“Her clients come to see her and say: ‘I'm a person of faith and I want help. I'm struggling with how I understand my body and my identity. I want help to feel comfortable and align my values with my faith that I already hold.’ But Colorado makes that illegal.”
Scruggs said the state’s laws are “one-sided,” as both talking therapy and hormonal therapy are allowed to help someone actively change their gender or sexuality, whereas therapy to encourage someone to remain in their biological sex is prohibited.
“Colorado allows counselors to push kids toward dangerous, life-altering drugs and procedures,” he said. “What the state is doing is saying there are certain ‘forbidden goals’ that clients cannot choose, and only some goals they can choose. This is all about empowering families and kids to get the counseling they want.”
However, some who have experienced similar treatment say it can prey on the mentally vulnerable, even when they are the ones requesting it.
“You're broken, and then you're doing all the things that they're telling you to do, and it's not working,” said Jessica Ritter, a lesbian who sought the treatment as a teenager raised in a Christian home.
The ban does not apply to ministers praying for individuals in a personal capacity.
If the Court sides with Chiles and the ADF, it could open the door for similar challenges in other jurisdictions.
Justices are expected to deliver their judgment before the end of June 2026.
