I wrote about Minnesota’s statutory ban on so-called “conversion therapy” in columns for the Free Beacon and Alpha News. As it applies to minors, the law bans therapy “that seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions…” If a teenager is troubled by the feelings that conflict with his sex and wants to mitigate them or reconcile himself to his physiological sex, the law prevents him from receiving help from mental health professionals to do so. So-called gender-affirming care is the only legal treatment.
The alleged ban on “conversion therapy” is no such thing. As titled, rather, it is a masterpiece of propaganda masking the intrusion of the state into the patient-doctor relationship. Democrats have in the past purported to be against such intrusion. Indeed, they have made a big deal of it.
In Minnesota the statute was adopted in the 2023 “let’s go crazy” session of the state legislature in which Democrats ruled the roost. Governor Walz celebrated adoption of the statute with a signing ceremony at the capitol. A good time was had by all. The local press joined in the celebration.
Some version of the ban has been adopted by 23 states and the District of Columbia. The laws are stupid and evil.
Colorado’s version of the law is also highly likely to be held unconstitutional in the case of Chiles v. Salazar, now pending before the Supreme Court. Yesterday the Court held oral argument on the constitutionality of the statute. Audio is posted here. We can look forward to a decision no later than June 2026, which should effectively dispose of the “conversion therapy” bans in the 22 other states as well.
