Supreme Court appears ready to legalize conversion therapy

(makeup for week of 10/06)

The Supreme Court appears poised to uphold conversion therapy as a legal practice, as a Christian counselor in Colorado argued that a state law that fines institutions that implement the practice is against the 1st Amendment. Many key liberal figures such as Colorado Solicitor General Shannon Stevenson and Colorado Governor Jared Polis condemn the practice as they claim that it’s well within the state’s rights to prohibit a healthcare practice it deems ineffective and archaic, and that conversion therapy as a practice should be illegal, as it is in the state of Colorado. Many conservative figures, such as chief justice John Roberts, oppose these claims, stating that the practices of conversion therapists fall under free speech, and that “a patient who seeks to "end or lessen" their same-sex attraction” should be able to do so.


To put it simply, I am terrified. Conversion therapy, which was once widely condemned across the nation, may now be making a return thanks to the wave of outward and explicit discrimination and opposition toward the LGBTQIA+ community that has been spearheaded by the Trump administration and the GOP. It is honestly heartbreaking that the possibility of “ending one’s same sex attraction” as associate justice Samuel Alito put it is more accepted by people than just letting people live their truth. It’s beyond frustrating seeing events like these happen nationwide, where rights are being encroached upon by all branches of government. This is especially enraging knowing that if conversion therapy were to be legalized, it would be disproportionately weaponized against LGBTQIA+ minors, who are the most vulnerable out of the already marginalized queer community.


Signing off,


Lily



Citations:


Kruzel, John. “US Supreme Court Skeptical toward Colorado LGBT ‘conversion Therapy’ Ban | Reuters.” Reuters, 7 Oct. 2025, www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-supreme-court-examine-colorados-gay-conversion-therapy-ban-2025-10-07/.


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