Michigan becomes first state to end conversion therapy ban after Supreme Court decisionhttps://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/08/michigan-becomes-first-state-to-end-conversion-therapy-ban-after-supreme-court-decision/ 🔗Alex Bollinger (3 Aug 2026)
The state of Michigan agreed last Thursday to abandon its ban on anti-LGBTQ+ conversion therapy following a federal judge's decision against it. This makes Michigan the first state to say it will stop enforcing its conversion therapy ban in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in Chiles v. Salazar earlier this year.
"Michigan will never support any practice that harms or shames LGBTQ+ youth," Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's (D) office said in a statement. "The governor will continue to fight to ensure that LGBTQ+ individuals are protected from attacks and that their voices are heard."
In 2023, Michigan passed a law banning state-licensed mental health professionals from attempting to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of minors, making it the 22nd state to do so. Like most conversion therapy bans, Michigan's did not address conversion therapy practiced by unlicensed coaches, members of the clergy, or lay ministries, which make up the vast majority of conversion therapy practitioners.
Shortly after, the Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee, and Hillsdale Counties sued the state to overturn the ban, saying it violates their free speech and free exercise of religion rights.
U.S. District Court Judge Jane Beckering, who is presiding over the lawsuit in Michigan, declined to grant an injunction against the conversion therapy ban last year, but it was overturned in December 2025 by an appeals court. This was the first time an appeals court ruled against a state conversion therapy ban.
