Americans United joined more than two dozen national and Colorado-based religious organizations in late August to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm that Colorado’s Minor Conversion Therapy Law does not violate the religious freedom of mental health practitioners.
The law prohibits counselors from trying to change a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity; it was enacted to protect LGBTQ+ children from “therapy” practices, which scientific research and medical evidence have proven to be harmful and ineffective.
In a friend-of-the-court brief filed Aug. 26 in the case Chiles v. Salazar, AU and allies explain that Colorado’s law was not enacted with anti-religious animus and does not target religion. The brief offers several religious perspectives — including Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and Unitarian Universalist — which support the law because it aligns with their beliefs to celebrate diversity and ensure all members of the community feel safe, included and supported.
“Our country’s promise of church-state separation means that all Americans must be free to live as themselves and believe as they choose, as long as they do not harm others,” said AU President and CEO Rachel Laser. “We urge the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm that our laws can protect vulnerable LGBTQ+ children from the proven harm of conversion therapy.”
The legal case is spearheaded by Alliance Defending Freedom, an aggressive Christian Nationalist organization that is manipulating the courts in order to turn religious freedom into a license to discriminate.
Organizations joining Americans United’s brief include Alliance of Baptists; Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists; Bend the Arc; Central Conference of American Rabbis; Covenant Network of Presbyterians; Denver Community Church; Dignity Denver; DignityUSA; Highlands Church Denver; Hindu American Foundation; Hindus for Human Rights; Interfaith Alliance; Interfaith Alliance of Colorado; Jewish Council for Public Affairs; Keshet; Methodist Federation for Social Action; Metropolitan Community Churches; Muslims for Progressive Values; National Council of Jewish Women; New Ways Ministry; Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus; Society for Humanistic Judaism; Union for Reform Judaism; Unitarian Universalist Association; and Women of Reform Judaism.
The brief’s authors include AU Senior Litigation Counsel Amy Tai and Litigation Counsel Jenny Samuels.