The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy Tuesday, siding with a Christian counselor who said the ban violated her right to free speech.
Conversion therapy is a discredited practice that seeks to change LGBTQ people’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Both the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association oppose conversion therapy, saying it doesn’t work and can lead to depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Sean Udell is a Park City psychiatrist who specializes in working with LGBTQ patients. He said when LGBTQ people are pushed to deny their identities, the risk of mental health conditions like substance use disorders or suicidal ideation is “markedly higher.”
“We know that risk for these mental health problems is directly correlated to the extent to which you’re raised in a social context that’s not affirming,” he said.
Utah has forbidden conversion therapy for minors since 2023. LGBTQ rights group Equality Utah said in a statement Tuesday the law could stand despite the Supreme Court’s ruling because it emphasizes neutrality instead of dictating what counselors can say.
Utah’s law requires health care professionals to be neutral about sexual orientation and gender identity.
Still, Udell said the court’s decision is concerning, especially in combination with bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
“On one hand, the court is saying that gender-affirming care is so novel that it’s within the state’s rights to protect all children from the potential harms of those therapies and not allow them to access it at all,” he said. “There’s very conclusive evidence that conversion therapy harms children and markedly disrupts their functioning in society as adults, and yet the court is saying that we can expose children to this if their parents agree.”
Udell, who’s also a member of Summit Pride, said it’s “disheartening” to hear about the ruling in a red state like Utah.
“As a member of the LGBT community in a state that has, over the last five legislative sessions, seemed to make enormous effort to restrict the lives of LGBTQ folks, it’s hard not to see the Supreme Court’s decision as a continued assault on queer people,” he said.
Others welcomed the court’s 8-1 ruling.
Gayle Ruzicka is the president of the Utah Eagle Forum, a conservative advocacy group focused on “faith, family and freedom.”
“We’re grateful for the ruling, and we support that ruling and hope that Utah’s laws will be adjusted to reflect what was in that ruling,” she said.
The Eagle Forum backed the 2023 conversion therapy ban. Ruzicka said her organization will likely meet with the law’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Mike Petersen, to discuss what’s next.
“We want to make it the best we can for the children, where they can have the best therapist, give them the best advice and work through their problems with the way it should be,” she said. “Government should not tell therapists what they can say to their clients.”
The New York Times reports Utah is one of more than 20 states to enact a ban on conversion therapy for minors.
