The United States Supreme Court has heard oral arguments in a case that seeks to overturn a state ban on “conversion therapy”.
Chiles v. Salazar centres on a conversion therapy ban in Colorado, which critics say stifles free speech, damages children and is in effect taking sides in a highly contentious ideological battle.
The case was brought by Kaley Chiles, a licensed counsellor in Colorado. She has spoken about how young clients suffering from gender confusion have come to her seeking help to become comfortable in their bodies and to avoid drug and surgery. However, the current law effectively prohibits Chiles, and those like her, from providing such help, even when the client expressly says that is what they want.
Jim Campbell, Chief Legal Counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom argued the case before the Supreme Court this week.
Ahead of the hearing he said, “Colorado’s law allows counsellors to push kids down the path of gender transition, often leading to harmful drugs and surgeries.
"But it doesn’t allow compassionate counsellors like Kaley to talk with kids to help them accept their bodies—even when that is their express goal and they have voluntarily sought Kaley out for advice."
Campbell argued that such a policy amounted to censorship and accused Colorado of banning conversations it does not like and of picking sides on the gender issue.
Effectively if a child in Colorado feels they have the mind of one gender but the body of another, the state will allow them to consider changing their body, but not their mind.
Those who are found to have breached the law can have their counsellor’s license revoked.
More than 20 US states currently have similar laws in effect.
Chiles said, “When my young clients come to me for counsel, they often want to discuss issues of gender and sexuality. Yet my home state only allows my clients to pursue state-approved goals like gender transition.
“Colorado’s law harms kids and censors speech. I’m hopeful the Supreme Court will do the right thing—for me, other counsellors, and most importantly, kids everywhere.”
