“We can’t stop conversion therapy. But we have to try,” River Page wrote in The Free Press on Monday. At the center of his argument is a case before the Supreme Court, Chiles v. Salazar, which challenges a Colorado law that bans conversion therapy for minors. As defined by the law, conversion therapy is “any practice or treatment”—by a licensed physician specializing in psychiatry—“that attempts or purports to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attraction or feelings toward individuals of the same sex.”
The plaintiff, licensed therapist Kaley Chiles, claims that by restricting what therapists can say, the law violates freedom of speech. The state of Colorado, meanwhile, says the legislation regulates professional conduct, not expression.
The legal components are complex. But, as River wrote, “here’s what we know for sure: If it’s struck down, it will enable registered therapists to psychologically torment gay teenagers without fear of losing their licenses.” His conversations with survivors of conversion therapy painted a stark picture: “Conversion therapy ruins gay kids’ lives.”
The argument sparked intense discussion online, with some people parsing the constitutional issues, others sharing their own experiences, and many debating the distinctions between gender and sex. It’s a subject that implicates some of our country’s most urgent cultural and political tensions, which is why we asked our readers to continue the conversation.
Here’s what they had to say:
River Page’s article inadvertently shows why Kaley Chiles—who is represented by my organization, Alliance Defending Freedom—should prevail before the Supreme Court in Chiles v. Salazar.
Page’s article is built on a flawed premise. Kaley doesn’t ask for Colorado’s law to be “struck down.” She challenges only its application to the kind of voluntary, compassionate counseling she provides to young people struggling with issues of gender or sexuality. That counseling occurs only when those young people and their parents consent. And it consists only of talking and listening—a caring back-and-forth dialogue.
