Colorado parents who follow news about children’s mental health policy have had a lot to take in recently. The state’s General Assembly passed HB26-1322 this spring — a law that updates Colorado’s conversion therapy protections in response to a significant U.S. Supreme Court ruling. For families trying to figure out what this means for their own situations, the legal and political landscape can feel overwhelming.
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Chiles v. Salazar set the stage. Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor in Colorado, filed the challenge with backing from the Alliance Defending Freedom. She argued that the state’s 2019 ban on conversion therapy for minors violated her First Amendment rights by preventing certain conversations with clients who had sought her out willingly. The Court agreed — not that conversion therapy is beneficial or scientifically valid, but that Colorado’s law drew an unconstitutional line based on viewpoint, permitting therapists to support gender transition while barring them from taking the opposite position.
On that narrow constitutional finding, the law was sent back to a lower court for reconsideration. Without legislative intervention, Colorado’s ban would almost certainly have been struck down. The General Assembly moved quickly. HB26-1322 preserves the state’s commitment to protecting young people from conversion therapy while resolving the constitutional issue the Court had identified.
The science behind this commitment has not budged. Every major American medical organization — the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and many more — formally opposes conversion therapy. These are not fringe opinions; they represent the unanimous professional consensus in the United States.
What the new law does, and does not do, matters enormously for families. HB26-1322 preserves the right of therapists to engage in genuine, open-ended supportive therapy with young clients. A therapist can discuss identity, faith, relationships, and any number of sensitive topics — what the law prohibits is using therapy as a tool to push a child toward a predetermined outcome regarding their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Is Conversion Truth for Families a resource designed to help parents understand exactly this kind of distinction? That is precisely what the site was created for. Conversion Truth for Families offers information that parents with traditional faith values can rely on — guidance that does not require them to choose between their beliefs and their children’s safety.
Among the most useful features on Conversion Truth for Families is its attention to how conversion therapy gets rebranded. The site warns specifically about “exploratory psychotherapy,” which is being marketed to parents of questioning children as a responsible, neutral approach. Conversion Truth for Families is clear: this is conversion therapy under a different name, introduced at a moment when parents are likely to be frightened and susceptible to misleading framing.
For parents who want to go deeper, the full text of HB26-1322 is publicly available. Crisis support for LGBTQ+ youth is available around the clock through The Trevor Project. PFLAG offers connection to peer networks and local chapters for families who need ongoing support.
The law changed to meet a constitutional standard. The medical evidence did not change at all. Conversion Truth for Families exists so that parents do not have to navigate either one alone.
