Gene Cowan 🏳️‍🌈5h ago
Erin Reed
1. Governor Jared Polis has signed a new conversion therapy ban, defying the Supreme Court. It uses the same mechanism Texas used to get around Roe v. Wade: private lawsuits. The law goes into effect on July 1st. www.erininthemorning.com/p/colorado-g...

Colorado Gov. Polis Signs New ...
Colorado Gov. Polis Signs New Conversion Therapy Ban, Defying Supreme Court

The law uses a private right of action to bypass a recent SCOTUS ruling allowing conversion therapy.

Erin In The Morning
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Show threadErin Reed7h ago
2. This week, Governor Jared Polis signed a landmark new conversion therapy ban bill into law—the first of its kind following the devastating Supreme Court ruling that legalized conversion therapy on LGBTQ+ people nationwide. leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/1...

leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/116...
Show threadErin Reed7h ago
3. The bill defies the ruling through a clever mechanism: rather than banning conversion therapy outright, it allows survivors to sue those who subjected them to it, using a private right of action—notably, the same legal mechanism first pioneered by Republicans to get around Roe v. Wade in Texas.
Show threadErin Reed7h ago
4. The new law comes in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's 8-1 decision in Chiles v. Salazar, which found Colorado's 2019 conversion therapy ban unconstitutional, effectively legalizing the discredited practice across the country. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.
Show threadErin Reed7h ago
5. The law targets what it defines as “sexual orientation or gender identity change efforts”—any practice by a licensed therapist that steers a patient toward a predetermined outcome regarding their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Show threadErin Reed7h ago
6. The new law doesn’t restrict speech at all. Instead, creates civil liability for what therapists do to their patients. If a therapist practices conversion therapy on their patient, the patient can sue—for economic damages, noneconomic damages, and, if the conduct was willful, exemplary damages.
Show threadErin Reed7h ago
7. Importantly, the law protects affirming care and exempts it from lawsuits: any therapy that provides “acceptance, support, and understanding” or facilitates “identity exploration and development” as long as it does not steer towards a predetermined conclusion is shielded from liability.
Show threadErin Reed7h ago
8. Governor Polis chose to sign the law at The Center on Colfax, an LGBTQ community center in Denver, on the first day of Pride Month. After signing, he said in a statement: "People shouldn't be ripped off by those falsely claiming that they can change who you are attracted to or who you are."
Show threadErin Reed7h ago
9. The new law will go into effect on July 1st.
Show threadErin Reed7h ago
10. Lastly, EITM is an award-winning media outlet covering LGBTQ+ news every day. You can subscribe to support our journalism at www.erininthemorning.com/subscribe.

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