Behind the headlines: “conversion therapy”

In 2019, Colorado became the 17th state to ­enact a law banning the practice of “conversion therapy” for licensed therapists working with youth. This practice, also called sexual orientation/gender identity change efforts (SOGICE), attempts to help people suppress or alter their sexual orientation or gender identity. While in recent years it has abandoned more overt marketing, not to mention techniques such as aversive conditioning ­using electric shocks, the practice continues under more subtle means. ­Because of the difficulty in defining “conversion therapy,” Colorado's law tried to cast a broad net while also trying to protect gender‐affirming care. A licensed counselor named Kaley Chiles sued, claiming the ban threatened her free speech rights. In March 2026, the Supreme Court apparently agreed, sending the law back to lower courts for a stricter review on those grounds. According to the American Psychological ­Association (APA, 2026), this opened “the question of whether states can still enact laws that protect patients from harmful therapeutic practices delivered through talk therapy.”