Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in Chiles v. Salazar that Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ minors is unconstitutional. The Court said the law likely violates First Amendment free speech protections and sent the case back to lower courts to reconsider under stricter standards. This decision marks a serious setback for protections aimed at keeping LGBTQ+ youth safe, especially given that conversion therapy is widely discredited and linked to anxiety, depression, and an increased risk of suicide. Laws like Colorado’s were designed to prevent licensed professionals from harming minors under the guise of counseling.

We want to thank Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson for her powerful dissent, which made it clear that this is not just a free speech issue but also a matter of health, safety, and human dignity. She emphasized the real harm conversion therapy causes and the critical importance of allowing states to regulate these dangerous practices.

In 2022, Canada passed Bill C-4, which made it a criminal offense to cause a person to undergo conversion therapy, promote or advertise it, or financially benefit from it. The law defines conversion therapy broadly, covering any attempt to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. This legal framework recognizes the harm these practices cause and the urgent need to protect young people.

Justice Jackson’s dissent mirrors this reasoning. Both emphasize that protecting LGBTQ+ youth from conversion therapy is a public health and human rights issue, and that governments have a responsibility to set clear boundaries against harmful practices.

The IATSE Pride Committee stands in solidarity with LGBTQ+ individuals and families affected by conversion therapy and calls on lawmakers, advocates, and allies to continue fighting for protections that keep LGBTQ+ youth safe. We are grateful to Justice Jackson for speaking out in defense of these fundamental principles.

-The IATSE Pride Committee