Anti-trans activists pray SCOTUS upholds "conversion therapy" [View all]

Anti-trans activists pray SCOTUS upholds “conversion therapy”
Opponents of transgender rights hope they will benefit when the Supreme Court rules on conversion-therapy bans

By Russell Payne
Staff Reporter
Published October 2, 2025 9:00AM (EDT)


(Salon) Anti-transgender activists see this upcoming Supreme Court term as their chance to further insert religion into medicine and its regulation in the United States.

On Oct. 7, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Chiles v. Salazar, a case brought by a Colorado-based counselor, Kaley Chiles, who argues that Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy, a widely discredited practice, is unconstitutional.

Chiles’ case is challenging a 2019 law that prohibits licensed health care providers from practicing conversion therapy with patients under 18 years old. Chiles claims that the law violates her First Amendment rights because her work sometimes involves patients and issues that “implicate Christian values about human sexuality and the treatment of their own body.”

Within the context of the broader anti-trans movement, however, it’s clear that many who support Chiles’ claim at the high court hope that a win in the case will serve as a stepping stone toward further privileging conservative Christians in the context of a state’s ability to regulate medical licensing. ...................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/10/02/anti-trans-activists-pray-scotus-upholds-conversion-therapy/