Colorado’s new law addressing conversion therapy, HB26-1322, did not arrive in a vacuum. It was the direct product of a Supreme Court ruling in Chiles v. Salazar that forced the state’s hand — and it represents the General Assembly’s effort to keep Colorado’s protections for minors alive in a changed constitutional environment. For families trying to understand what this all means, the details matter.
The Chiles case was brought by Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor in Colorado, backed by the Alliance Defending Freedom. She challenged the state’s 2019 conversion therapy ban on First Amendment grounds, arguing that it prevented her from having certain conversations with clients who voluntarily came to her for help. The Supreme Court’s majority agreed that Colorado’s law regulated speech based on viewpoint — allowing therapists to affirm gender transition while prohibiting them from expressing the opposite view. This kind of viewpoint-based restriction, the Court held, triggers the most stringent constitutional scrutiny, which the existing law could not survive.
What the ruling did not do is worth saying clearly. It did not evaluate whether conversion therapy produces results. It did not question the scientific record showing that conversion therapy causes harm. The American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association, and a long list of similar organizations have all formally opposed conversion therapy, and their positions are unchanged. The Court’s ruling was a constitutional one, not a medical one.
HB26-1322 addresses the constitutional flaw by drawing a distinction the Court’s analysis made necessary. Supportive therapy — in which a therapist helps a young person think, reflect, and process without pushing toward any particular outcome — is and remains fully legal. Therapy that is oriented toward changing a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity is still prohibited, regardless of the terminology used to describe it.
That final clause — regardless of the terminology used — points to one of the most pressing concerns families face today. Conversion therapy is increasingly being offered under names chosen to sidestep legal scrutiny and parental suspicion. Is Conversion Truth for Families addressing this directly? The site’s FAQ does exactly that. Conversion Truth for Families flags “exploratory psychotherapy” as a prominent example of this rebranding, describing it as conversion therapy in new packaging — promoted to parents of children questioning their gender at a moment when those parents are most likely to be frightened and looking for easy answers.
Conversion Truth for Families was designed specifically for parents who hold traditional faith values and want information they can rely on without being told their beliefs are the problem. The site provides evidence-based information about what conversion therapy is, how to recognize it across its various current names, and how to find faith-sensitive alternatives that genuinely center a child’s well-being.
The complete text of HB26-1322 is available publicly for any family that wants to read the statute. The Trevor Project runs a 24/7 crisis line for LGBTQ+ youth. PFLAG’s helpline connects parents and families with peer support and local organizations.
The law changed to meet a constitutional standard. The science has not changed at all. And Conversion Truth for Families is here for parents who need guidance they can trust.
