Supreme Court To Review Conversion Therapy Case
By: Vashti Smith
The US Supreme Court was presented with a case that will determine the future of gay youths in Colorado on Tuesday, October 7. The US Supreme Court has to decide whether the Colorado law prohibiting licensed mental health professionals from providing conversion therapy to minors is constitutional.
In 2015, former President Barack Obama ended conversion therapy that changes a person’s gender identity and orientation due to the negative effects. Conversion therapy, also called reparative therapy, is a psychological or physical therapy that is used to “cure” homosexuality and “reverts” nonconforming and transgender individuals to identify with the gender they were assigned at birth.
Research shows that this practice is ineffective and very harmful. According to a National Library of Medicine article, conversion therapy has led to anxiety, high blood pressure, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Elevated rates of internalized homophobia, social isolation, drug use, and anxiety are common side effects. It also increases the chance of children running away and committing suicide.
People are outraged by conversion therapy everywhere, especially among LGBTQ+ youth. Taylor Scott, a Hampton University student and member of the LGBTQ+ community, said, “Conversion therapy doesn’t work. Love isn’t something that can be changed or corrected, any more than your height or eye color can be.” She continued by praising Hampton student organizations that support and uplift queer youth, like Mosaic and LGBT+ Caucus.
Washington, D.C, and 23 states prohibit professionals from providing conversion therapy to minors. Despite the practice being banned in numerous states, a 2023 report from the Trevor Project, an organization that tries to prevent LGBTQ+ individuals from committing suicide, shows that there are more than 1,300 conversion therapy providers in 48 states and D.C.
No matter the outcome of the case, conversion therapy may not be so easy to get rid of. President Donald Trump urges health care providers to provide a kind of therapy, similar to conversion, to youth who identify as transgender.
