The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a challenge to a law in Colorado that bans “conversion therapy” aimed at young people questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The justices took up an appeal brought by Kaley Chiles, a Christian therapist, who argued that the restriction violates her free speech rights under the Constitution’s First Amendment.
Favored by some religious conservatives, the practice is aimed at encouraging gay or lesbian minors to change their sexual orientations and transgender children to identify as the gender identities assigned to them at birth. More than 20 states have bans on therapy aimed at minors.
Chiles often has clients who are Christians, some of whom have questions about their sexual orientation and gender identity amid concerns that they are unable to live their lives in accordance with their faith, according to court papers. As such, they seek counseling to suppress unwanted sexual attractions or to resolve conflicts about their gender identity.
“These clients believe their lives will be more fulfilling if aligned with the teachings of their faith, and they want to achieve freedom from what they see as harmful self-perceptions and sexual behaviors,” Chiles’ lawyers at the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian advocacy group, wrote in their court filing.