Wire
Colorado’s conversion therapy ban for minors stays in force
The Tenth Circuit said Colorado has a legitimate interest in safeguarding minors’ physical and psychological well-being. Licensed counselors remain bound by the rule while the broader First Amendment fight continues.
Colorado can keep enforcing its ban on conversion therapy for minors inside its licensed counseling system after the Tenth Circuit’s Sept. 12, 2024, ruling in Chiles v. Salazar. For licensed counselors, the practical result is straightforward: the treatment remains off-limits when they are working with minors in Colorado.
Why the court let the ban stand
The court treated Colorado’s interest in protecting children as a legitimate one, saying the state’s interest in safeguarding the physical and psychological well-being of a minor is legitimate. In plain terms, that means the ban was viewed as a permissible regulation of professional treatment, not as a law that automatically fails constitutional review.
The case was brought by a licensed Colorado counselor challenging restrictions on licensed professional counselors and conversion therapy for minors.
What stays in place for families and therapists
The ruling leaves Colorado free to keep enforcing the ban inside its licensed mental-health system, which means state regulators can continue to bar licensed counselors from offering conversion therapy to minors. That matters for families seeking care, counselors working under state licensing rules, and the regulators responsible for enforcing the line the state drew around the practice.
The decision preserves the current limit without resolving every broader First Amendment fight over professional speech.