U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on Conversion Therapy May Affect Minnesota

April 2, 2026

On March 31, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a Colorado law banning conversion therapy, treatments that attempt to change individuals’ sexual orientation or gender identity, for minors. 

The 8-1 decision in Chiles v Salazar ruled in favor of Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor in Colorado, who argued that the law violated her First Amendment right to free speech. In the Opinion of the Court (Gorsuch), six justices argued that, because the sole tool of the practitioner was language, the state was regulating speech itself. In the Concurring Opinion (Kagan), two justices argued that, while it is appropriate for states to regulate the content of professional services in a viewpoint-neutral way to protect public health, it cannot discriminate based on viewpoint. The Colorado law is viewpoint discriminatory because it prohibits therapists from trying to change their patients’ sexual orientation or gender identity, but allows them to affirm LGBTQ individuals seeking acceptance or support.  

The decision threatens the enforceability of state-level conversion therapy bans across 23 states, including Minnesota. At least one Minnesota legal scholar suggests that one way around the First Amendment problem would be to ban the harm, rather than banning the viewpoint, as alluded to in Justice Kagan’s concurring opinion.    

The MMA adopted a policy in support of a state ban on conversion therapy in 2018, and supported the passage of the current state ban in 2023. The MMA’s policy is consistent with that of the American Psychological Association and the AMA, both of whom cite strong evidence that conversion therapy is ineffective and associated with long-lasting psychological damages.  

The MMA will continue to track changes that impact the enforceability of Minnesota’s ban on conversion therapy. Please contact Adrian Uphoff, manager of health policy & regulatory affairs, with questions.