March 31st, National Transgender Day of Visibility but Transgender People are More Invisible
The United States Supreme Court ruled Colorado's ban on Conversion Therapy to be an illegal act that violates the First Amendment Freedom of Speech for Conservative Christian Therapists. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Kaley Chiles with a shocking 8-1 vote on the matter. Justice Neil Gorsuch said that "the First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought of speech in this country." He believes that the law "does not just ban physical interventions, but it also censors speech based on viewpoint." On National Transgender Day of Visibility, Kaley Chiles won the case and made a statement saying "I hope this win for free speech will fuel a greater pursuit of truth. Because of today's ruling, families will have more options and states won't be able to shut those options down." Colorado's ban on Conversion Therapy was meant for licensed therapists to not work in favor of religious bias, and has no effect outside of therapy for minors. It would not effect religious teachings of churches or even family members.
Conversion Therapy has even been disproven to work by the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and even the founder of the idea of Conversion Therapy. Studies show that it has little to no effect other than increasing anxiety rates, depression rates, and even suicide rates especially within minors. In 2015, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the country, and in 2020 they passed a law saying that no legal barriers were able to be set up against LGBTQIA+ individuals for employment.