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What the Alliance Defending Freedom Isn't Telling Christian Parents About the Conversion Therapy Controversy
ADF's "free speech" argument would actually give therapists more power over your child by weakening the oversight standards that hold licensed professionals accountable.
Quick Takeaways
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) presents itself as a defender of Christian family values, but its record on "conversion therapy" raises serious questions for any parent who values truth and their child's well-being.
ADF is representing therapist Kaley Chiles in Chiles v. Salazar, a Supreme Court case that could strip away consumer protections keeping kids safe from practitioners who charge thousands of dollars for practices that do not work.
ADF's "free speech" argument would actually give therapists more power over your child by weakening the oversight standards that hold licensed professionals accountable.
One of ADF's own senior staff members is openly same-sex attracted. ADF has not directed him toward the very therapy it is fighting to keep legal for children. Across more than a decade of published research, there is no verified evidence these practices change who a child is attracted to or how they see themselves.
A solution that divides families is not a solution at all. Every major medical organization agrees: "conversion therapy" does not change who a young person is attracted to or how they see themselves, and the harm it causes is real.
ADF speaks a language many Christian parents recognize: religious liberty, family values, parental rights. That shared language is exactly why it matters to look closely at what ADF is actually arguing in Chiles v. Salazar, and what they are leaving out.
What Is the Case, In Plain Terms?
In 2019, Colorado passed the Minor Conversion Therapy Law, which prohibits licensed mental health professionals from practicing "conversion therapy" on minors. If you are wondering whether laws like Colorado's still protect families in your state, protections vary significantly by location. The Colorado law does not touch pastors, youth ministers, or faith-based counselors. It only applies to licensed therapists who already have accountability obligations under state law.
ADF is representing Kaley Chiles, a therapist who wants to practice "conversion therapy" on minors and argues the law violates her First Amendment rights. Their position is that therapy is essentially speech, and speech cannot be regulated.
The Argument That Takes Power Away From Parents
If therapy is reclassified as protected speech, state licensing boards lose their ability to hold therapists fully accountable for what they do with your child. No meaningful discipline for false promises. No recourse if a practitioner charges thousands of dollars to "fix" your son or daughter and leaves them with depression, anxiety, and lasting harm to the parent-child relationship.
ADF says it is fighting for parental authority. But the outcome it is seeking would give individual therapists broader freedom to operate on your child with far less oversight. A practitioner could tell your child that faulty parenting caused their confusion. They could promise an outcome no credible evidence supports. You would have fewer tools to hold them responsible.
That is not protecting your family. That is protecting the practitioner.
The Inconsistency Worth Asking About
One of ADF's own senior staff members has shared publicly that he is same-sex attracted. ADF has not directed him toward the "conversion therapy" they are fighting to keep legal for children. If they truly believed these practices work, that belief would show up within their own organization.
What Real Families Have Experienced
Paulette Trimmer is a Christian mother whose son Adam went through "conversion therapy" after struggling with same-sex attraction. She has described in her own words how the experience did not change him and nearly destroyed their relationship, taking years to rebuild.
Brandon Boulware, a Christian father from Missouri, put it plainly: "I spent years trying to change my child instead of loving him as he was. When I finally let go of my fear and let him be who God made him to be, I got my son back." His story is part of a larger pattern of how Christian parents have found their way through without losing their children.
These are the lived experiences of parents who tried what ADF is defending, and paid a price no family should have to pay.
What the Law Actually Does
Colorado's law is narrow. It does not prohibit conversations about faith, values, celibacy, or a child's desire to live according to their beliefs. Therapists can still help families navigate these questions together.
What it stops is a specific set of techniques aimed at promising to change who a young person is attracted to or how they see themselves. If you want to understand why this practice has been rejected by every major medical organization, the evidence is detailed and consistent. That promise has never been kept, and the attempt to keep it has fractured families across the country.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ADF's argument in Chiles v. Salazar? ADF argues that because therapy involves talking, it qualifies as First Amendment-protected speech. Critics, including child welfare advocates and medical experts, argue this framing would remove the accountability standards that protect children from harmful and ineffective practices.
Does Colorado's law ban all therapy for minors who are gay or transgender? No. The law prohibits "conversion therapy" specifically, meaning attempts to change who a young person is attracted to or how they see themselves. Therapists can still support minors exploring their feelings, values, and faith.
Why should Christian parents be skeptical of ADF's position? ADF's legal argument would weaken the standards that let parents hold licensed therapists accountable. If therapy is protected as free speech, practitioners could make unproven promises to families with fewer consequences.
Has "conversion therapy" ever been shown to work? No credible evidence supports the claim. Every major medical organization has found the practice ineffective and has documented harms including depression, anxiety, and damaged family relationships.
What separates "conversion therapy" from legitimate faith-based support? Genuine faith-based support helps a young person integrate their faith and personal identity honestly, without false clinical promises. "Conversion therapy" makes a specific claim that a practitioner can change a core aspect of who someone is, a promise no evidence supports and no family should pay for.
Publicaciones recientes
What the Alliance Defending Freedom Isn't Telling Christian Parents About the Conversion Therapy Controversy
ADF's "free speech" argument would actually give therapists more power over your child by weakening the oversight standards that hold licensed professionals accountable.
Quick Takeaways
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) presents itself as a defender of Christian family values, but its record on "conversion therapy" raises serious questions for any parent who values truth and their child's well-being.
ADF is representing therapist Kaley Chiles in Chiles v. Salazar, a Supreme Court case that could strip away consumer protections keeping kids safe from practitioners who charge thousands of dollars for practices that do not work.
ADF's "free speech" argument would actually give therapists more power over your child by weakening the oversight standards that hold licensed professionals accountable.
One of ADF's own senior staff members is openly same-sex attracted. ADF has not directed him toward the very therapy it is fighting to keep legal for children. Across more than a decade of published research, there is no verified evidence these practices change who a child is attracted to or how they see themselves.
A solution that divides families is not a solution at all. Every major medical organization agrees: "conversion therapy" does not change who a young person is attracted to or how they see themselves, and the harm it causes is real.
ADF speaks a language many Christian parents recognize: religious liberty, family values, parental rights. That shared language is exactly why it matters to look closely at what ADF is actually arguing in Chiles v. Salazar, and what they are leaving out.
What Is the Case, In Plain Terms?
In 2019, Colorado passed the Minor Conversion Therapy Law, which prohibits licensed mental health professionals from practicing "conversion therapy" on minors. If you are wondering whether laws like Colorado's still protect families in your state, protections vary significantly by location. The Colorado law does not touch pastors, youth ministers, or faith-based counselors. It only applies to licensed therapists who already have accountability obligations under state law.
ADF is representing Kaley Chiles, a therapist who wants to practice "conversion therapy" on minors and argues the law violates her First Amendment rights. Their position is that therapy is essentially speech, and speech cannot be regulated.
The Argument That Takes Power Away From Parents
If therapy is reclassified as protected speech, state licensing boards lose their ability to hold therapists fully accountable for what they do with your child. No meaningful discipline for false promises. No recourse if a practitioner charges thousands of dollars to "fix" your son or daughter and leaves them with depression, anxiety, and lasting harm to the parent-child relationship.
ADF says it is fighting for parental authority. But the outcome it is seeking would give individual therapists broader freedom to operate on your child with far less oversight. A practitioner could tell your child that faulty parenting caused their confusion. They could promise an outcome no credible evidence supports. You would have fewer tools to hold them responsible.
That is not protecting your family. That is protecting the practitioner.
The Inconsistency Worth Asking About
One of ADF's own senior staff members has shared publicly that he is same-sex attracted. ADF has not directed him toward the "conversion therapy" they are fighting to keep legal for children. If they truly believed these practices work, that belief would show up within their own organization.
What Real Families Have Experienced
Paulette Trimmer is a Christian mother whose son Adam went through "conversion therapy" after struggling with same-sex attraction. She has described in her own words how the experience did not change him and nearly destroyed their relationship, taking years to rebuild.
Brandon Boulware, a Christian father from Missouri, put it plainly: "I spent years trying to change my child instead of loving him as he was. When I finally let go of my fear and let him be who God made him to be, I got my son back." His story is part of a larger pattern of how Christian parents have found their way through without losing their children.
These are the lived experiences of parents who tried what ADF is defending, and paid a price no family should have to pay.
What the Law Actually Does
Colorado's law is narrow. It does not prohibit conversations about faith, values, celibacy, or a child's desire to live according to their beliefs. Therapists can still help families navigate these questions together.
What it stops is a specific set of techniques aimed at promising to change who a young person is attracted to or how they see themselves. If you want to understand why this practice has been rejected by every major medical organization, the evidence is detailed and consistent. That promise has never been kept, and the attempt to keep it has fractured families across the country.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ADF's argument in Chiles v. Salazar? ADF argues that because therapy involves talking, it qualifies as First Amendment-protected speech. Critics, including child welfare advocates and medical experts, argue this framing would remove the accountability standards that protect children from harmful and ineffective practices.
Does Colorado's law ban all therapy for minors who are gay or transgender? No. The law prohibits "conversion therapy" specifically, meaning attempts to change who a young person is attracted to or how they see themselves. Therapists can still support minors exploring their feelings, values, and faith.
Why should Christian parents be skeptical of ADF's position? ADF's legal argument would weaken the standards that let parents hold licensed therapists accountable. If therapy is protected as free speech, practitioners could make unproven promises to families with fewer consequences.
Has "conversion therapy" ever been shown to work? No credible evidence supports the claim. Every major medical organization has found the practice ineffective and has documented harms including depression, anxiety, and damaged family relationships.
What separates "conversion therapy" from legitimate faith-based support? Genuine faith-based support helps a young person integrate their faith and personal identity honestly, without false clinical promises. "Conversion therapy" makes a specific claim that a practitioner can change a core aspect of who someone is, a promise no evidence supports and no family should pay for.
Publicaciones recientes
What the Alliance Defending Freedom Isn't Telling Christian Parents About the Conversion Therapy Controversy
ADF's "free speech" argument would actually give therapists more power over your child by weakening the oversight standards that hold licensed professionals accountable.
Quick Takeaways
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) presents itself as a defender of Christian family values, but its record on "conversion therapy" raises serious questions for any parent who values truth and their child's well-being.
ADF is representing therapist Kaley Chiles in Chiles v. Salazar, a Supreme Court case that could strip away consumer protections keeping kids safe from practitioners who charge thousands of dollars for practices that do not work.
ADF's "free speech" argument would actually give therapists more power over your child by weakening the oversight standards that hold licensed professionals accountable.
One of ADF's own senior staff members is openly same-sex attracted. ADF has not directed him toward the very therapy it is fighting to keep legal for children. Across more than a decade of published research, there is no verified evidence these practices change who a child is attracted to or how they see themselves.
A solution that divides families is not a solution at all. Every major medical organization agrees: "conversion therapy" does not change who a young person is attracted to or how they see themselves, and the harm it causes is real.
ADF speaks a language many Christian parents recognize: religious liberty, family values, parental rights. That shared language is exactly why it matters to look closely at what ADF is actually arguing in Chiles v. Salazar, and what they are leaving out.
What Is the Case, In Plain Terms?
In 2019, Colorado passed the Minor Conversion Therapy Law, which prohibits licensed mental health professionals from practicing "conversion therapy" on minors. If you are wondering whether laws like Colorado's still protect families in your state, protections vary significantly by location. The Colorado law does not touch pastors, youth ministers, or faith-based counselors. It only applies to licensed therapists who already have accountability obligations under state law.
ADF is representing Kaley Chiles, a therapist who wants to practice "conversion therapy" on minors and argues the law violates her First Amendment rights. Their position is that therapy is essentially speech, and speech cannot be regulated.
The Argument That Takes Power Away From Parents
If therapy is reclassified as protected speech, state licensing boards lose their ability to hold therapists fully accountable for what they do with your child. No meaningful discipline for false promises. No recourse if a practitioner charges thousands of dollars to "fix" your son or daughter and leaves them with depression, anxiety, and lasting harm to the parent-child relationship.
ADF says it is fighting for parental authority. But the outcome it is seeking would give individual therapists broader freedom to operate on your child with far less oversight. A practitioner could tell your child that faulty parenting caused their confusion. They could promise an outcome no credible evidence supports. You would have fewer tools to hold them responsible.
That is not protecting your family. That is protecting the practitioner.
The Inconsistency Worth Asking About
One of ADF's own senior staff members has shared publicly that he is same-sex attracted. ADF has not directed him toward the "conversion therapy" they are fighting to keep legal for children. If they truly believed these practices work, that belief would show up within their own organization.
What Real Families Have Experienced
Paulette Trimmer is a Christian mother whose son Adam went through "conversion therapy" after struggling with same-sex attraction. She has described in her own words how the experience did not change him and nearly destroyed their relationship, taking years to rebuild.
Brandon Boulware, a Christian father from Missouri, put it plainly: "I spent years trying to change my child instead of loving him as he was. When I finally let go of my fear and let him be who God made him to be, I got my son back." His story is part of a larger pattern of how Christian parents have found their way through without losing their children.
These are the lived experiences of parents who tried what ADF is defending, and paid a price no family should have to pay.
What the Law Actually Does
Colorado's law is narrow. It does not prohibit conversations about faith, values, celibacy, or a child's desire to live according to their beliefs. Therapists can still help families navigate these questions together.
What it stops is a specific set of techniques aimed at promising to change who a young person is attracted to or how they see themselves. If you want to understand why this practice has been rejected by every major medical organization, the evidence is detailed and consistent. That promise has never been kept, and the attempt to keep it has fractured families across the country.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ADF's argument in Chiles v. Salazar? ADF argues that because therapy involves talking, it qualifies as First Amendment-protected speech. Critics, including child welfare advocates and medical experts, argue this framing would remove the accountability standards that protect children from harmful and ineffective practices.
Does Colorado's law ban all therapy for minors who are gay or transgender? No. The law prohibits "conversion therapy" specifically, meaning attempts to change who a young person is attracted to or how they see themselves. Therapists can still support minors exploring their feelings, values, and faith.
Why should Christian parents be skeptical of ADF's position? ADF's legal argument would weaken the standards that let parents hold licensed therapists accountable. If therapy is protected as free speech, practitioners could make unproven promises to families with fewer consequences.
Has "conversion therapy" ever been shown to work? No credible evidence supports the claim. Every major medical organization has found the practice ineffective and has documented harms including depression, anxiety, and damaged family relationships.
What separates "conversion therapy" from legitimate faith-based support? Genuine faith-based support helps a young person integrate their faith and personal identity honestly, without false clinical promises. "Conversion therapy" makes a specific claim that a practitioner can change a core aspect of who someone is, a promise no evidence supports and no family should pay for.