The discredited and pernicious practice of so-called “conversion therapy” has been widely rejected by the medical and mental health community as ineffective and harmful, especially to young people. As the sponsor of this legislation for many years before it became law in New York State, I have personally seen the damage that is done to young people and how it can persist throughout adulthood. Major professional organizations in the field, including the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics oppose this practice because it is associated with documented harm to patients, and is based on the false belief that LGBTQ+ expressions of gender and sexuality are deficiencies in need of correction.

LGBTQ+ children with unsupportive families who are forced into this cruel and degrading practice are left with deep scars from which their family connections and even their own self-worth may never recover.

By striking down Colorado’s law restricting licensed professionals from engaging in this discredited practice, the Supreme Court has not only opened the door to more formative adolescent trauma for LGBTQ+ children; it has undermined states’ ability to regulate the professional standards for medical and mental health practitioners. This will immediately harm LGBTQ+ youngsters, but it also sets a troubling precedent for further judicial meddling of the regulation of the public health, the implications of which will extend beyond the LGBTQ+ community.