UPDATE: On March 31, 2026, the Supreme Court narrowed how Colorado’s conversion therapy ban applies to talk therapy, saying it restricts counselors’ speech based on viewpoint. Learn more.

In Chiles v. Salazar, a licensed Colorado therapist filed a lawsuit against the state’s law protecting youth from conversion therapy, arguing it violates her right to free speech. Colorado’s current law banning conversion therapy has been in place since 2019, prohibiting licensed mental health professionals from engaging in conversion therapy with minors.

The Supreme Court heard arguments in Chiles v. Salazar on October 7, 2025, and will issue a decision before the end of the 2025-2026 session. The decision could shape the future of conversion therapy laws nationwide.

If the Supreme Court strikes down Colorado’s conversion therapy ban for minors in response to Chiles v. Salazar, it would make it harder for states to protect families from harmful, unscrupulous, and misleading practices that divide parents from their children and put LGBTQ+ youth at risk.

What is Conversion Therapy?

Conversion therapy refers to practices that try to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Studies show that conversion therapy practices are unproven, unscientific, and increase the risk of suicide attempts, depression, and anxiety. Current Colorado law protects LGBTQ+ youth from harm including these risks, and the outcome of this case could have a major impact on how states across the country safeguard young people form the dangers of conversion therapy.

Is Conversion Therapy Legal in the US?

Laws like Colorado’s have broad bipartisan and religious support. Youth are protected from conversion therapy in 23 states, plus the District of Columbia. An additional four states have laws that partially protect youth from conversion therapy. Only five states have a law, budget, or court ruling that prohibits or deters local-level laws protecting youth from conversion therapy.

On August 26, GLAD Law filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of LGBTQ+ conversion therapy survivors, asking the US Supreme Court to uphold Colorado’s conversion therapy ban. The survivors’ stories illustrate how conversion therapy can be devastating for young people, their families, and faith communities. Read their powerful stories.

Read The Trevor Project’s report, It’s Still Happening: A Report on Practitioners of So-Called Conversion “Therapy” in the U.S.