The US Supreme Court handed down one of its most consequential rulings of the 2026 term today, striking down Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth. The 8-1 decision sided with an evangelical Christian counsellor who had challenged the law on free speech grounds — and its implications extend far beyond Colorado, casting serious doubt over similar laws in more than 20 other states.
What Did the Supreme Court Rule?
The court ruled that Colorado’s law, which prohibited licensed therapists from attempting to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of minors, violated the First Amendment right to free speech. The case was brought by Kaley Chiles, an evangelical Christian counsellor who wanted to provide talk therapy to teenagers seeking to reduce same-sex attraction or to align their sense of identity more closely with their biological sex.
Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch stated: “The First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country.” He concluded that Colorado’s law regulated the content of Chiles’s speech and discriminated on the basis of viewpoint — both of which trigger the highest levels of constitutional scrutiny.
The Lone Dissent
The only dissenting voice was Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who took the unusual step of reading part of her dissent aloud from the bench — a signal of the depth of her disagreement with the majority’s reasoning. Jackson warned that the ruling “opens a dangerous can of worms” by undermining states’ rights to regulate professional medical and therapeutic conduct. She argued that allowing therapists to claim First Amendment protection for what is effectively a clinical service creates a precedent that could be applied in unpredictable ways across many areas of professional regulation.
What Is Conversion Therapy?
Conversion therapy — sometimes called reparative therapy — refers to any attempt to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The term covers a wide spectrum of practices, from religious counselling and prayer-based interventions to more intensive psychological techniques. Major medical and psychiatric organisations, including the American Psychological Association and the American Medical Association, have consistently stated that conversion therapy is ineffective and harmful, particularly for young people.
Studies have linked exposure to conversion therapy with significantly elevated rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among LGBTQ+ youth.
What Happens Now?
The ruling immediately raises questions about the future of conversion therapy bans in the 20-plus states that have enacted similar laws. Legal analysts expect a wave of challenges as therapists and religious organisations look to use today’s precedent to overturn restrictions in their own states. Some states may attempt to redesign their laws to focus specifically on commercial transactions or licensing standards rather than speech content — though whether that approach would survive future legal challenges is uncertain.
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups reacted with dismay, describing the ruling as a significant blow to protections for vulnerable young people. Religious liberty advocates, meanwhile, celebrated it as a landmark affirmation of the right of faith-based counsellors to practise according to their beliefs.
A Deeply Divided Response
Today’s ruling reflects the broader polarisation in the US over LGBTQ+ rights, religious liberty, and the role of government in regulating professional conduct. The Supreme Court has now effectively said that states cannot tell a therapist what views they may or may not express, even in a therapeutic context — a ruling that supporters call a free speech victory and critics call a licence to harm.
The debate over conversion therapy is far from over. If anything, today’s decision has made it more combustible than ever.