Supreme Court will take up state bans on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ children, in a Colorado caseLink to Full ArticleAssociated Press - MARK SHERMAN
Updated 10:16 AM MDT, March 10, 2025
The Supreme Court agreed on Monday in a case from Colorado to decide whether state and local governments can enforce laws banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ children.
The justices also have heard arguments in a Tennessee case over whether state bans on treating transgender minors violate the Constitution. But they have yet to issue a decision.
Colorado is among roughly half the states that prohibit the practice of trying to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling.
The issue is whether the law violates the speech rights of counselors. Defenders of such laws argue that they regulate the conduct of professionals who are licensed by the state.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver upheld the state law. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has struck down local bans in Florida.
In arguing for the court to reject the appeal, lawyers for Colorado wrote that lawmakers acted to regulate professional conduct, "based on overwhelming evidence that efforts to change a child's sexual orientation or gender identity are unsafe and ineffective."
The case will be argued in the court's new term, which begins in October.--------------------------------
