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Kicked Out of Counseling School for His Faith: Supreme Court Just Proved Him Right

Supreme Court rules 8 to 1 that Colorado conversion therapy ban violates First Amendment, vindicating Christian counselor expelled from his program.

Michael Ringer

Michael Ringer

— 3 min read
The United States Supreme Court building in Washington D.C. where the landmark Chiles v. Salazar conversion therapy ruling was issued on March 31 2026

Supreme Court Strikes Down Conversion Therapy Ban in Landmark Chiles v. Salazar Free Speech Ruling

The United States Supreme Court ruled 8 to 1 on March 31, 2026, that Colorado's ban on conversion therapy for minors violates First Amendment protections. The landmark decision in Chiles v. Salazar has sent shockwaves through the counseling profession and reignited the national debate over faith based therapy and free speech rights.

Justice Neil Gorsuch authored the majority opinion, declaring that Colorado's Minor Conversion Therapy Law (MCTL), passed in 2019, unconstitutionally restricted the viewpoints licensed counselors could express during talk therapy sessions. The court held that the law must be reviewed under strict scrutiny because it regulates speech based on viewpoint.

The First Amendment protects the right of all to speak their minds. The fact that the regulation falls only on licensed health care professionals does not change the equation.

Justice Gorsuch wrote these words for the majority in the sweeping opinion.

The case was brought by Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor in Colorado who identifies as a practicing Christian. Chiles argued that the state was attempting to control her conversations with patients to suppress disfavored views on sexual orientation and gender identity. She stated in her petition that she "believes that people flourish when they live consistently with God's design, including their biological sex."

Andrew Rodriguez, director of Integrity Christian Counseling and the author of the original Christian Post piece, shared his own experience of being expelled from Chestnut Hill College's counseling program in June 2015. Administrators removed him the day before the Supreme Court's Obergefell decision after discovering his bio mentioned experience counseling men with unwanted same sex attractions.

Rodriguez was forced to repeat his entire year long internship at another institution but eventually graduated with legal assistance from the Independence Law Center and PA Family Institute. He celebrated the Chiles ruling as vindication of his mission and a victory for therapeutic choice.

I have experienced first hand the authoritarianism of LGBT activists, arrogant with their institutional, cultural, and political power.

Rodriguez wrote in his Christian Post column published April 16, 2026.

Justice Kagan wrote a concurring opinion joined by Justice Sotomayor, while Justice Jackson authored the lone dissent. The ruling does not validate conversion therapy as a practice but establishes that states cannot use licensing power to restrict what topics therapists may discuss with clients who voluntarily seek their services.

Christian Counselor Vindicated After Supreme Court Rules Conversion Therapy Bans Violate Free Speech

Demonstrators holding signs outside the United States Supreme Court building during oral arguments in the Chiles v. Salazar conversion therapy case

Rodriguez now directs Integrity Christian Counseling and serves as a board member for the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity. He also works as a Training Facilitator for the Reintegrative Therapy Association and runs a YouTube channel called PsychoBible, where he discusses psychology, theology, and sexuality.

The decision has immediate implications for the 22 states and numerous municipalities that have enacted similar bans on conversion therapy. Legal experts expect a wave of challenges to these laws following the Supreme Court's ruling that talk therapy constitutes protected speech under the First Amendment.

The Crusader's Opinion

Let me be absolutely clear about what happened here. The state of Colorado told Christian counselors they could not speak freely with clients who came to them voluntarily seeking help. They weaponized licensing laws to silence one viewpoint while mandating another. A counselor could affirm a child's desire to transition genders, but could not help a child who wanted to live consistently with their biological sex. That is not protection. That is ideological coercion dressed up as compassion.

Thank God eight justices saw through it. Andrew Rodriguez was thrown out of his counseling program for daring to mention his faith based practice. Kaley Chiles was threatened with losing her license for having the wrong opinion. These are not isolated cases. This is a coordinated campaign to drive Christian voices out of every institution in the West. The Supreme Court just reminded these activists that the First Amendment still means something.

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