Justice Neil Gorsuch argued for the majority that the bill violated therapists’ First Amendment free speech rights.
Jorge Reyes Salinas, communications director for the group Equality California, said conversion therapy, which tries to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, hurts patients by fostering self-loathing.
"Every major medical and mental health organization continues to condemn conversion therapy because of its harmfulness," Salinas pointed out. "It creates depression, anxiety, and suicide."
Currently, 20 states ban conversion therapy for minors. The Supreme Court decision does not lift those bans immediately but makes them vulnerable to legal challenges.
Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson argued in her dissent that states should be able to regulate professional conduct in the medical field without running afoul of the First Amendment.
Angela Dallara, director of rapid response and campaigns for the advocacy group GLAAD, said we need to prioritize people’s right to effective, science-based medical care.
"We must amplify the voices of survivors and continue to hold liable anyone who peddles in this junk science," Dallara argued. "Conversion practices are also very much a form of medical malpractice and consumer fraud, because they don't work."
In Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order in September 2024 to ban the practice on minors; the Kentucky legislature passed a bill in March 2025 to overturn that order.
