10-03-2025
How a Supreme Court conversion therapy case could affect California
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide the legality of a state ban on conversion therapy, and that could have far-reaching implications for the LGBTQ+ community across the U.S and in California.
The big picture: The conservative-led court agreed Monday to hear a challenge to Colorado's law banning conversion therapy.
The case hinges on whether state bans violate the free speech rights of licensed providers who attempt to change a child's gender identity or sexual orientation through counseling.
Context: Kaley Chiles, a Christian counselor, is arguing Colorado's restriction against licensed mental health professionals engaging in conversion therapy for minors goes against the First Amendment.
LGBTQ+ advocates, major medical and mental health organizations have condemned the practice as harmful, discriminatory and ineffective.
Between the lines: California became the first state in 2012 to ban conversion therapy on minors. A ruling overturning Colorado's law could open the door to similar legal challenges, undermining protections against a harmful practice under the guise of religious freedom, said Francisco Buchting, vice president of grants, programs, and communications at the San Francisco-based Horizons Foundation.
"We know it's associated with higher rates of depression and suicide attempts. The lifetime harm that folks have been subjected to is most equivalent to torture," Buchting added.
The other side: Chiles' attorneys argued that Christian clients seek her "Christian-based counseling" on questions about their sexuality if it conflicts with their faith, noting she works only with "voluntary clients" whom she shares values with.
The intrigue: The high court's eventual decision could deal a major setback for the LGBTQ+ community, which the Trump administration has been targeting with actions undermining trans and nonbinary rights.
Zoom in: The San Francisco metro area was already home to the highest concentration of LGBTQ+ people in the country, and more people have relocated in recent years after fleeing states with restrictive policies, local LGBTQ-serving groups have told Axios.
Yes, but: Despite living in a state with stronger civil rights protections, LGBTQ+ people in California have been reeling from federal efforts to combat what Trump calls " gender ideology extremism."
Stunning stat: In California, 35% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, according to The Trevor Project, a crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth.
Zoom out: More than 20 states have bans on subjecting minors to conversion therapy. But some 13% of LGBTQ+ young people who were surveyed by the Trevor Project in 2024 reported being threatened with or subjected to the practice.
What's next: The court will hear the case in its new term, which begins in October, meaning a decision likely won't come until summer 2026.
