Issue
This case concerns Kaley Chiles, a mental health professional in Colorado, who is challenging the state’s Minor Conversion Therapy Law, which bans the practice of conversion therapy on youth. Chiles contends that the law restricts her ability to provide comprehensive counseling consistent with her and her clients’ religious beliefs, in violation of the First Amendment’s Free Speech Clause.
Impact
About 698,000 LGBT adults have undergone conversion therapy, with half of them (350,000) receiving the treatment as adolescents. Studies show that conversion therapy can cause serious harm to LGBT individuals, including higher risks of suicidality, mental health issues (e.g., depression and anxiety), physical health problems, financial hardships, and social isolation. Finding Colorado’s ban unconstitutional could have severe consequences for Colorado’s 73,000 LGBT youth and could upend laws that safeguard children and adults in professional services nationwide.
Summary
The brief presents research on the prevalence and harms of conversion therapy that demonstrates its ineffectiveness and risks. The brief supports Colorado’s authority to regulate the medical profession in order to prevent substandard care—particularly for vulnerable youth—and examines the broader implications of states losing the ability to prohibit harmful conduct by licensed professionals.