The Supreme Court conversion therapy case: Here’s what you should know

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After years of refusing to hear such cases, the Supreme Court has decided to hear Chiles v. Salazar, a case that could overturn the bans on conversion therapy for minors currently in place in 23 states.

The Court’s hearings and decision will both occur within the coming year, so here’s an overview of the case, its background, the anti-LGBTQ+ legal group behind the case, the case’s likely outcome, and how LGBTQ+ organizations are reacting.

What is the Supreme Court conversion therapy case?

The case, filed by the anti-LGBTQ+ Christian nationalist legal group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), involves Kaley Chiles — a Christian licensed professional counselor in Colorado Springs, Colorado — who says that the state’s conversion therapy ban prohibits her from advising clients with unwanted “same-sex attractions or gender identity confusion” who “prioritize their faith above their feelings,” The Hill reported.

Chiles challenged the law in 2022 as a violation of her First Amendment right to free speech. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit upheld Colorado’s ban, saying that it regulated professional conduct rather than speech. The ADF appealed the decision to the nation’s highest court.

The law firm claims that conversion therapy bans allow counselors to “steer” young people towards gender identities that differ from the sex they were assigned at birth, while punishing counselors for “conversations that aim to help [young patients] return to comfort with their sex when they desire that.” However, the ADF’s claim mischaracterizes the bans.

What do conversion therapy bans actually do?

In reality, the bans forbid all state-licensed doctors, psychologists, therapists, and social workers from…

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