How the Supreme Court's conversion therapy case could reshape LGBTQ+ protections across America

"When the U.S. Supreme Court begins its new term in October, all eyes will be on the blockbuster cases waiting in the wings. On October 7, the justices will hear Chiles v. Salazar, a case that could decide whether states can continue protecting LGBTQ+ youth from so-called "conversion therapy" or whether those protections collapse nationwide. Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter."

""This case is a real test of whether there will always be a double standard for our community," Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, told The Advocate in an interview. "These laws are ordinary regulations of mental-health treatments that protect kids from ineffective and harmful practices. It would be tragic if they were struck down just because, in this case, they happen to protect LGBT young people.""

The Supreme Court will hear Chiles v. Salazar on October 7 to determine whether Colorado's 2019 ban on licensed providers offering conversion therapy to minors can be upheld. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia have enacted similar bans restricting licensed mental-health professionals from attempting to change a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity. The petitioner argues the ban violates First Amendment speech rights by framing therapy as regulated speech. The respondent defends state authority to regulate professional conduct and protect minors from practices deemed ineffective and harmful.

Read at Advocate.com