Colorado advances conversion therapy lawsuit bill after Supreme Court ruling

The Democratic-controlled Colorado House passed a bill Thursday allowing people harmed by conversion therapy to sue therapists, just days after the Supreme Court blocked enforcement of the state’s ban on the method.

HB26-1322 would establish a pathway for Coloradans to bring civil lawsuits against licensed mental health professionals accused of causing harm by working to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The bill also allows people to take legal action against entities that hired and supervised a professional who conducted conversion therapy. The bill now goes to the state Senate, which is also controlled by Democrats, for consideration.

This measure could open the door to lawsuits years after therapy begins and expose providers to significant financial liability.

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Students listen as a man explains the significance of the statues adorning the U.S. Supreme Court building, March 31, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

The legislation was advanced just days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Colorado could not enforce its conversion therapy ban regarding conversations between therapists and LGBTQ+ minors, arguing that the law likely violated the First Amendment by allowing some viewpoints but not others.

In an 8-1 ruling Tuesday, the court said the law favored one point of view by allowing therapists to affirm a minor’s gender identity or sexual orientation, but did not help them change it if they wanted to.

Matt Soper, a Republican in the Colorado House of Representatives, told Fox News Digital that the new bill proposed by Democrats is a “slap in the face” to the Supreme Court.

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Demonstrators protest conversion therapy outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the Court hears oral arguments in the case Chiles v. Salazar, a landmark case on conversion therapy, October 7, 2025, in Washington, DC (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

“We have a bill designed to effectively ban conversion therapy,” Soper said.

“It goes straight to the heart of the average American, that the Supreme Court can’t even have a decision hot off the press before having a legislature that’s already pushing to overturn what the Supreme Court just decided,” he continued.

“At the end of the day, we don’t even have a clue what the Supreme Court’s law is or can be when we have states already working very hard to undermine an 8-1 decision.

“Americans don’t like it when a legislature immediately attempts to overthrow or undermine the nation’s highest court before sentiment has even subsided.”

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Colorado lawmakers passed a bill allowing “conversion therapy” prosecutions days after a Supreme Court ruling limited the state’s ban. (Getty Images)

The bill’s sponsors in the Colorado House, Reps. Alex Valdez and Karen McCormick, released a statement following the high court’s ruling, reiterating that conversion therapy is “ineffective and harmful.”

“In Colorado, you belong where you are. Now more than ever, we must protect LGBTQ+ Coloradans from the harmful practice of conversion therapy. We are committed to continuing to move forward to safeguard the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in Colorado,” the lawmakers said.

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The Supreme Court’s decision followed a lawsuit filed by Kaley Chiles, a licensed Christian therapist, who claimed that her conversations with young clients constituted a form of protected expression.

The Colorado government argued that these conversations constituted professional conduct that the state was authorized to regulate.

The case centered on a law Colorado passed in 2019 banning what the state government described as conversion therapy.

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While the 2019 law required claims against providers to be filed within two years, HB26-1322 would eliminate time limits for filing a lawsuit and, if the victim is deceased, their representatives could file a claim for damages within five years of the person’s death.

Soper criticized the bill for lacking a cap on recoverable damages or a statute of limitations for claims.

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“A mental health therapist might actually be responsible for their whole life,” he said.

Michael Dorgan and Ashley Oliver of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.