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Reproductive Rights Explainers
Chiles v. Salazar: SCOTUS to Weigh In on Protecting LGBTQ+ Youth from Harmful Conversion Therapy
The Supreme Court’s decision in Chiles v. Salazar could roll back protections for LGBTQ+ youth and set dangerous precedents for bodily autonomy and state’s ability to regulate the medical profession.
Graphic images courtesy of The Trevor Project
⚡TL; DR (too long, didn’t read)
This is about protecting LGBTQ+ people’s freedom to make their own choices about their bodies, identities, and care.
On October 7, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court heard Chiles v. Salazar, the first-ever case about conversion therapy, a dangerous, discredited practice aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
The harms of conversion therapy are well-documented, and we need to protect LGBTQ+ youth from these devastating, blatantly ineffective, and unethical practices.
This case isn’t about religious freedom, free speech, or parental rights. It’s about whether states can step in when medical professionals harm their patients, especially children. It’s about protecting LGBTQ+ youth from abuse disguised as “therapy.”
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🔎 Closer Look: What’s Chiles vs. Salazar all about?
“Conversion therapy” causes real harm—higher rates of suicide attempts, depression, and anxiety for LGBTQ+ youth.
Chiles v. Salazar is a case challenging Colorado’s law that protects minors from being subjected to so-called “conversion therapy.”
The harms of conversion therapy are well-documented. Research shows:
- Youth subjected to conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide.
- They’re 2.5 times more likely to report multiple suicide attempts within a year.
- Every major medical and mental health organization, from the American Psychiatric Association, to the American Medical Association, condemns the practice.
The petitioner in this case is a mental health counselor in Colorado who filed a lawsuit against the state of Colorado, claiming that the law in question infringes on her freedom of speech.
🤿 Dive Into the Details of Colorado’s Bipartisan Laws Protecting LGBTQ+ Youth
We urge the Court to protect states’ rights to regulate mental health treatment and protect youth and families from harm.
Twenty-three other states—plus Washington, D.C.—have laws that protect minors from conversion therapy.
Currently, therapists are permitted to provide a space for young people to talk about sexual orientation or gender identity, but cannot ethically pressure young people toward a specific outcome.
Laws that protect young people from conversion practices have broad, bipartisan, and religious support.
- Since 2012, Republican legislators have supported legislation protecting youth from conversion therapy more than 1,000 times.
- Many religious groups continue to express support for ending these dangerous practices, with nearly 400 religious leaders across the globe calling to end conversion therapy worldwide in 2020.
- Most Americans reject conversion therapy, and support efforts to protect youth from its harms. 2025 polling data found that a majority of adults in the United States (56%) think you should be protected from conversion therapy.
⚠️ The Stakes: How the Chiles v. Salazar Decision Impacts You
If the Court strikes down Colorado’s law, it could jeopardize protections in nearly half the country and could redefine the legal protections available to LGBTQ+ youth in health care.
🛩️ The Big Picture: the broad impact of Chiles v. Salazar
Chiles v. Salazar will shape how far states can go to protect their residents, especially kids, from dangerous pseudoscience. A strong ruling could affirm that states have the right to protect young people’s health and safety.
A bad ruling could do the opposite: opening the door for harmful practices to flourish again under the banner of “free speech.”
This case isn’t happening in isolation—it’s part of a bigger playbook. The same extremist movement pushing Project 2025 is working to roll back both LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive freedom.
A ruling against Colorado’s law would set a precedent that weakens states’ ability to protect our LGBTQ+ youth from their ability to control their own body and care.
💡Additional Reading and Resources
- Amicus briefs: Read all submitted briefs via the Court’s docket here.
- The Trevor Project’s Explainer: Chiles v. Salazar: What you need to know about the U.S. Supreme Court case on conversion therapy
- The Trevor Project’s “It’s Still Happening” report: a systematic research report on the prevalence of conversion therapy that identified more than 1,300 active conversion therapy practitioners across the United States.
- The Movement Advancement Project’s (MAP) LGBTQ Policy Spotlight: Laws Protecting LGBTQ Youth from Conversion “Therapy” Report
📢 Take Action
Our freedoms are connected—reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, and the right to access safe, affirming care all depend on the same foundation: the power to decide what’s right for your own body and future.
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