The Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with a Christian counselor over Colorado in her challenge to the state’s ban on so-called conversion therapy for minors.
In an 8-1 ruling by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the court said that the state’s law, as applied to talk therapy provided by the counselor, Kaley Chiles, conflicts with First Amendment principles because it regulates speech based on viewpoint. Gorsuch wrote that the amendment “stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country.”
About half the states in the country have banned or restricted the practice that aims to change a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
If it helps, for all those states that have laws against conversion therapy the laws are still there and in effect, this wasn’t decided on the merits yet. It’s a bad ruling but it could’ve been much worse, and they sent it back down to an appeals court or something to argue more. Even if the woman won this case I don’t think it would invalidate anti-conversion laws nationwide or anything, it’s a more specific case than that.
I agree with your sentiment, though.