Colorado advances conversion therapy lawsuit bill after Supreme Court ruling

The Democrat-controlled Colorado House on Thursday passed a bill that would allow 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 create a path for Coloradans to bring civil lawsuits against licensed mental health professionals accused of causing harm through efforts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The bill also allows people to take legal action against organizations that hire and supervise a professional who conducts conversion therapy. The bill now heads to the state Senate, also controlled by Democrats, for consideration.

This measure can open the door to lawsuits and expose providers to significant financial liabilities years after the treatment has occurred.

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The law was developed just days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Colorado could not enforce its conversion therapy ban on conversations between therapists and LGBTQ+ minors; argued that the law likely violated the First Amendment because it allowed some viewpoints but not others.

In an 8-1 decision Tuesday, the court said the law promotes a single point of view by allowing therapists to confirm a minor’s gender identity or sexual orientation, but does not help them change it if they want.

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

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

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

“This hurts the heart of the average American; there is no way the Supreme Court could even have a decision out of the press without a legislature already pushing to reverse the decision the Supreme Court just made,” he continued.

“After all, the Supreme Court has no idea what the law is or could be, while there are states that are working really hard to undermine the 8-to-1 decision.

“Americans don’t like having a legislature that immediately tries to overthrow or undermine the highest court in the land before the printing presses even get cold.”

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Colorado lawmakers passed a bill allowing lawsuits over “conversion therapy” following the Supreme Court’s decision limiting the state’s ban. (Getty Images)

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

“In Colorado, you belong just as you are. Now more than ever, we must protect LGBTQ+ Coloradans from the harmful practice called conversion therapy. We pledge to continue moving forward to protect the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in Colorado,” the lawmakers said.

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The Supreme Court’s decision stemmed from a case in which licensed Christian therapist Kaley Chiles argued that conversations she had with her teenage clients were a form of protected speech.

The Colorado government argued that the interviews amounted to professional conduct that the state was allowed to regulate.

The case centered on a law Colorado passed in 2019 that bans what the state government describes as conversion therapy.

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Although the 2019 law requires claims against providers to be filed within two years, HB26-1322 would remove time limits for legal action and, if the victim is deceased, their representatives would be able to file a claim within five years of the individual’s death.

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

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

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