Colorado Tells Christian Therapists: Affirm Gender Transition or Lose Your License

Colorado Law Forces Therapists to Affirm Gender Transition in Minors, Banning All Other Counseling

Colorado's Minor Conversion Therapy Law (MCTL), passed in 2019, prohibits licensed mental health professionals from engaging in any counseling that does not affirm a minor's stated gender identity. The law effectively mandates that therapists can only validate and affirm gender transition, preventing them from exploring alternatives or offering faith aligned counseling.

Therapist Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor in Colorado Springs, has challenged the law before the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Chiles v. Salazar. She argues the ban violates her First Amendment right to free speech, restricting what she can say in private conversations with her own clients.

The case gained national attention when oral arguments were heard on October 7, 2025. A clear majority of justices, across ideological lines, appeared skeptical of the Colorado law, raising questions about similar bans in more than 20 other states.

The law doesn't just regulate medical procedures. It regulates conversations.

Andrea Picciotti Bayer, director of the Conscience Project, wrote that the law turns therapy into "ideology with a license" rather than genuine counseling. She cited Britain's 2024 Cass Review, which found evidence supporting pediatric gender medicine to be "weak and inconclusive."

An HHS report also stated that no reliable evidence exists showing that gender transition interventions reduce suicide risk in minors. Research suggests up to 90% of children with pre puberty gender dysphoria reconcile with their biological sex without medical intervention.

The article also references the case of Fox Varian, who at age 22 received a $2 million settlement after undergoing a mastectomy at just 16 years old. Court testimony alleged that doctors suggested the surgery was necessary to prevent suicide.

Supreme Court May Strike Down Colorado's Conversion Therapy Ban Protecting Minors

Violators of Colorado's law face fines up to $5,000 and potential loss of their professional license. The ruling, expected in 2026, could have sweeping implications for states across the nation that have enacted similar bans.

Chiles' case centers on a fundamental question: can the government dictate what a therapist is allowed to say in a private counseling session? If the Supreme Court rules in her favor, it could effectively dismantle conversion therapy bans nationwide, restoring the ability of counselors to offer faith based guidance to minors and their families seeking it.

The Crusader's Opinion

Let us be absolutely clear about what is happening here. The state of Colorado is telling a Christian therapist that she cannot have a private conversation with a child and their parents about their own faith and their own body. They call it "protecting minors." But who is really being protected when a 16 year old girl can be given a double mastectomy because a doctor told her it would prevent suicide, with zero reliable evidence to back that claim?

This is not healthcare. This is state mandated ideology. When the government can regulate what words come out of a counselor's mouth in a private room, we are no longer living in a free country. We are living under tyranny dressed in therapeutic language. Thank God the Supreme Court appears ready to put an end to this madness.

Take Action

• Pray for Kaley Chiles and the Supreme Court justices deciding Chiles v. Salazar. Pray for wisdom, courage, and a ruling that protects religious liberty.
• Contact your state legislators and urge them to oppose laws that restrict faith based counseling for minors. Find your representatives at usa.gov/elected-officials.
• Support the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing Kaley Chiles in this case, at adflegal.org.
• Donate to The Shepherd's Shield to support Christians facing persecution and legal battles for their faith.
• Share this story with your church community. Start a conversation about what it means when the government tells Christians they cannot counsel according to their beliefs.