The Family Foundation Urges U.S. Supreme Court to Uphold the First Amendment by Striking Down Colorado Ban on Christian Counseling

LEXINGTON, KY – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in Chiles v. Salazar, a case that strikes at the very heart of free speech protected by the First Amendment. The case involves a First Amendment challenge by Christian counselor Kaley Chiles to a Colorado law that bans voluntary counseling conversations from a Christian perspective. Colorado’s law specifically bans counselors like Kaley from helping kids realign their identity with their true biological sex, even when that’s what the young person and their parents want.

The effect of the Colorado law, and similar laws and ordinances across the nation and here in Kentucky, is to silence Christian counselors and seek to force them to only promote radical gender and sexual ideologies approved of by the Government.

Statement from David Walls, Executive Director of The Family Foundation:

“Truth should never be silenced by the Government. We urge the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold free speech by striking down Colorado’s one-sided counseling ban. This harmful law is designed to promote false LGBTQ ideologies and muzzle Christian counselors from helping children struggling with gender and sexuality confusion. Children, parents, and families are harmed when the Government engages in anti-Christian viewpoint discrimination that attempts to censor counseling.

“Kentucky saw these same threats when Governor Beshear sought to unilaterally ban Christian counseling via executive order in the Commonwealth, despite no prospect of a state law similar to Colorado’s passing the General Assembly. We are thankful for the General Assembly’s quick action to reverse that unconstitutional overreach with HB 495. I pray this case will ensure that parents and their children are free to seek the faith-based counseling that they need and not be pushed by the Government towards mutilating chemical and surgical interventions that only do harm,” Walls concluded.

In September 2024, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed an unlawful executive order seeking to ban so-called “conversion therapy,” similar to the Colorado law at issue in Chiles v. Salazar. The Family Foundation and its supporters responded with statewide call to action urging the governor to reverse his dangerous order. Thankfully, when the General Assembly returned for the 2025 legislative session, they overwhelmingly passed TFF-supported HB 495, which overturned the executive order and banned any similar orders from going into effect, in a bipartisan vote. After Beshear’s veto of HB 495, the General Assembly overrode that veto, also with a bipartisan vote.

The Family Foundation has strongly advocated against so-called “conversation therapy” bans in the General Assembly over multiple legislation sessions, and has previously explained numerous concerns, including explaining that the bans attack religious freedom and the very heart of the Christian message.