The U.S. Supreme Court just heard a case about Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors, which could have devastating implications for queer people in the country.
The Court heard arguments in a case brought by Christian talk therapist Kaley Chiles against the state of Colorado. In the suit, Christian law firm Alliance Defending Freedom argued that Colorado’s ban violates her First Amendment rights to discuss her faith with her patients.
The state’s lawyers argue that this argument is more hypothetical than it is rooted in reality. The state claims it has not received a complaint about Chiles’s professional conduct—nor has she been disciplined.
Questions asked by the Court’s conservative justices appeared to sympathize with Chiles’s free speech claims, while the Court’s liberal justices seemed to align with Colorado’s argument that they have the right to ban a practice they deem unsafe and ineffective.
The Court currently has a conservative majority, with only three justices appointed by Democratic presidents compared to six justices appointed by Republican presidents—including three by Donald Trump alone.
If the Court does rule against the state, it will likely have implications for the more than 20 other states with similar bans.
Conversion therapy has been condemned by a long list of major medical organizations and experts and has been found to significantly increase a person’s risk of depression or suicide.
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