Christian counselor asks Supreme Court to block Colorado’s ‘gay conversion therapy’ ban

November 13, 2024

A Christian counselor is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block enforcement of a Colorado law that regulates the speech of licensed professionals while discussing same-sex attraction with their clients.

The Christian Post reports that the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court on behalf of Kaley Chiles who contends that the law prevents her from freely discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with her clients in violation of her religious views.

The petition reads, in part, “Chiles believes that people flourish when they live consistently with God’s design, including their biological sex,” adding, “Many of her clients seek her counsel precisely because they believe that their faith and their relationship with God establishes the foundation upon which to understand their identity and desires. But Colorado bans these consensual conversations based on the viewpoints they express.”

The petition asks the Supreme Court to clarify that the First Amendment applies in the counseling room.

According to the Christian Post, Colorado passed the Minor Conversion Therapy Law in 2019 which prohibits the practice of sexual orientation change efforts therapy for minors.

Chiles had filed a complaint against the law in 2022, arguing that the law violated the rights of free speech and free exercise under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled 2-1 against Chiles in September, upholding an earlier district court ruling in favor of the ban.

That ruling claimed that Chiles had not met the burden of showing that her free speech was being abridged under the law.

Photo: top, Credit: Alliance Defending Freedom