Supreme Court: Protect LGBTQ Youth From Harmful Conversion Therapy

I understand you do not rule based on letters or emotion. I appeal to you now as an American, member of the LGBTQ+ community, and someone who has witnessed firsthand how conversion therapy devastates a teenager’s life, causing lifelong trauma long into adulthood. This case is not abstract; it is deeply personal. If your decision removes state bans on conversion therapy for minors, you risk causing irreversible psychological and emotional harm to children across this nation. Major medical and mental health organizations, including the American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, have long condemned conversion therapy as unethical and harmful. They reject its underlying premise that LGBTQ+ identities are disorders to be fixed. Research shows that survivors face higher rates of depression, PTSD, suicidal thoughts, and substance abuse. (Stanford Medicine, 2024) Studies consistently find that conversion efforts fail to change orientation or identity and instead foster internalized shame, family trauma, and long-term harm. (Cornell review, WhatWeKnow) Colorado’s Minor Conversion Therapy Law is not a suppression of speech, courts have found, but a regulation of licensed professionals’ conduct. That distinction matters. You must ask whether the state can regulate a medical practice proven to cause harm. The government has a compelling interest in protecting minors from dangerous medical and psychological interventions. State action here safeguards children whose autonomy and development are still unfolding. If the court allows licensed professionals to impose discredited practices based on religious or ideological beliefs, how many other harmful medical interventions would be justified in the name of belief? Uphold science, protect children, and affirm the power of states and our federal government to safeguard public health.