Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
Conversations between a licensed professional counselor and a client should be private. When it comes to a counselor speaking to clients under 18 struggling with confusion about their sexual orientation or “gender identity,” the state of Colorado disagrees.
A state law encourages counselors to have conversations with minors who might be suffering from gender dysphoria about accepting, supporting, and understanding clients’ “identity exploration and development,” and assisting clients with the so-called transition. But anything else is considered “conversion therapy.”
The state wants licensed counselors to promote the government’s view of “gender identity” in these cases. Kaley Chiles, a Christian counselor represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), said the law violates her freedom of speech and free exercise of religion as well as those of her clients.
According to her complaint, Chiles believes that “people flourish when they live consistently with God’s design, including their biological sex,” and that God “establishes the foundation upon which to understand their identity and desires.” She said that her clients sought her counsel because she believes these things. And the First Amendment protects her right to talk about it.
Chiles said that the state wants her to speak only a message that the government favors That’s censorship. She filed a lawsuit against the state, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld Colorado’s law in September.
Chiles appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has agreed to hear the case.
“The vast majority of young people who experience gender discomfort eventually come to accept their bodies,” said Kristen Waggoner, president of ADF. “But if they seek professional counseling, Colorado’s law puts them on a one-way conveyor belt toward irreversible harm.”
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