Carol Calkins: Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy is under threat. Kids’ well-being is on the line.

This commentary is by Carol Calkins, a licensed psychotherapist and founder of Calkins Therapy for Change in Boulder. She has worked with children, teens, families and couples for more than three decades. 

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear Chiles v. Salazar, a case challenging Colorado’s 2019 law banning conversion therapy for minors. Oral arguments are scheduled for Oct. 7, with a decision expected by June 2026. As a therapist who has worked with children and teens for more than three decades, I believe this case strikes at the heart of what it means to protect young people.

Conversion therapy is not therapy. It is the practice of trying to change or suppress a young person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Every major medical and mental health organization in the United States — from the American Psychological Association to the American Academy of Pediatrics — has condemned it as harmful, ineffective and unethical. Research consistently shows that LGBTQ+ youth subjected to conversion therapy face higher rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicide attempts.

Colorado’s ban was enacted to protect minors from precisely these outcomes. It ensures that when families seek help for their children, they encounter licensed professionals who provide ethical, evidence-based and affirming care. Weakening or overturning this law would send a dangerous message to LGBTQ+ kids across Colorado — that their identities are a problem to be “fixed,” rather than an essential part of who they are.

In my practice, I have sat with young people who feel caught between who they know themselves to be and who others expect them to be. The pain of rejection can run deep. Teens who are told, implicitly or explicitly, that they are broken or “wrong” often internalize shame that lingers for years. By contrast, when children are supported and accepted, they thrive. Their risk of depression and self-harm decreases. Their confidence and resilience grow.

This is not an abstract legal question. It is about real lives in our community. Boulder has long prided itself on inclusion and support for young people, yet LGBTQ+ teens here still face disproportionate challenges. National surveys show that more than 40% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year. Those who underwent attempts at “conversion” were far more likely to act on those thoughts.

Protecting children is not a partisan issue. It is a human one. Whatever our political leanings, we can agree that kids deserve to be safe, healthy and supported. Allowing harmful and discredited practices to resurface under the banner of “therapy” would be a betrayal of that responsibility.

As the Court prepares to hear this case in October, my hope is that Colorado continues to stand firmly on the side of children and families. Laws that ban conversion therapy are not about restricting speech. They are about holding professionals accountable to the standards of their field and about shielding vulnerable young people from practices that put their mental health — and in many cases, their lives.

In the coming months, you will likely hear arguments about free speech and religious liberty. These are important conversations, but we cannot lose sight of what is truly at stake. The well-being of LGBTQ+ youth should not be collateral damage in a legal or political debate. These kids are our neighbors, our students, our friends’ children. They deserve better than policies that would reopen the door to harm.

Here in Boulder, we have an opportunity to show what real support looks like — through schools that affirm identity, families that listen and communities that stand up for the safety of every child. Whatever happens in Washington, we can make it clear at home that LGBTQ+ young people are valued exactly as they are.

That is what true therapy is about: not changing who you are, but helping you feel safe enough to grow into your fullest self.