Chiles v. Salazar: What’s at Stake for LGBTQ+ Youth

On October 7, 2025, Colorado stood before the U.S. Supreme Court to defend its ban on conversion therapy for minors, a law grounded not in ideology, but in evidence and lived experience. In Chiles v. Salazar, the Court is now being asked to decide whether states can continue to protect children from a practice long condemned by major medical and mental health organizations.

Central to the plaintiffs’ argument is a dangerous falsehood. They claim there is no real scientific consensus on conversion therapy. This assertion is not only wrong, it is deliberate. It is part of a nationwide effort to repackage a discredited and harmful practice as legitimate care and to roll back protections for LGBTQ+ people under the guise of free speech.

Conversion “therapy” is not therapy at all. It is a false promise that sexual orientation or gender identity can be changed, delivered to vulnerable young people at moments of profound self-discovery. When that lie is presented as medical treatment, the harm is immediate and long-lasting. The American Psychological Association has documented links between conversion therapy and increased rates of depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicidality. The Trevor Project reports that LGBTQ+ people who have endured conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide.

Behind those statistics are real Coloradans. They are young people burdened with shame, families fractured by fear, and lives forever shaped by trauma that was preventable.

Colorado’s ban reflects a simple truth. Telling a child that who they are is something that needs to be fixed is not a credible therapy practice. It is medical misinformation. 

The Supreme Court now has a choice. It can uphold states’ ability to protect children, or it can give new life to a practice that has already caused immeasurable harm. For the sake of LGBTQ+ youth in Colorado and across the country, the Court must choose protection over pseudoscience.