Colorado strengthens conversion therapy ban despite Supreme Court ruling
Colorado passes law allowing lawsuits against therapists for conversion therapy, despite US Supreme Court blocking state ban on free speech grounds.
Colorado lawmakers have passed amendments strengthening the state's ban on 'conversion therapy,' a practice aimed at changing an individual's non-traditional sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling. This comes despite a recent US Supreme Court ruling that blocked enforcement of Colorado's ban on free speech grounds.
Conversion therapy has long been criticized by medical experts and advocacy groups as ineffective and harmful – particularly for LGBTQ+ youth whose conservative parents seek such intervention. Roughly half of US states, including Colorado since 2019, have banned the practice.
The amendment passed by Colorado's Democrat-led House allows people claiming harm from conversion therapy to sue therapists. This change mirrors legislation adopted in 2021 that removed time limits for bringing claims related to child sexual abuse.
The legislation comes two days after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Christian counselor who challenged the ban on free speech grounds. The Court's 8-1 decision, which included support from two liberal justices, does not affect existing restrictions on physical or medical interventions, such as electroconvulsive therapy, which remain regulated or prohibited in Colorado. The case will now return to a lower court for further examination.
