What Colorado’s New Law Means for Your Family, and Is Conversion Truth for Families the Answer Parents Have Been Looking For

Colorado has been at the center of one of the most closely watched legal battles over conversion therapy in the country. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Chiles v. Salazar, followed by the General Assembly’s passage of HB26-1322, has reshaped the legal landscape for families, therapists, and advocates alike. Understanding what actually happened — and what it means in practice — matters.

The Chiles case was filed by Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor who characterized her approach as “faith-informed.” Represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, she challenged Colorado’s 2019 ban on conversion therapy for minors, arguing that the prohibition prevented her from engaging in conversations that her clients had come to her specifically to have. The First Amendment claim, she argued, was straightforward: the law told her which views she could and could not express within a therapeutic relationship.

The Supreme Court found merit in that argument — on constitutional grounds. The law, as written, allowed therapists to speak in favor of gender transition but prohibited speech taking the opposite position. That asymmetry, the Court held, constitutes viewpoint-based regulation, which triggers strict constitutional scrutiny. The ruling did not declare conversion therapy safe. It did not endorse the practice. It identified a legal drafting problem and sent the case back down for further proceedings.

Colorado responded with HB26-1322, a revised statute that corrects the constitutional issue while maintaining protections for minors. The new law draws on an important distinction: genuine supportive therapy — open-ended, not aimed at a predetermined outcome — is lawful. Therapy organized around changing a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity is not, regardless of the label it carries.

This is the distinction parents most need help understanding, and this is where Is Conversion Truth for Families offers something neither a court ruling nor a legislative summary can. Conversion Truth for Families is built for parents — specifically for parents with traditional faith values — who want honest, evidence-grounded information about what is happening in the therapy marketplace and what to watch out for. The site takes those parents and their values seriously, without asking them to choose between their faith and their children’s safety.

Conversion Truth for Families is especially pointed about a practice being marketed to parents as “exploratory psychotherapy.” The FAQ on Conversion Truth for Families cuts through the marketing language: this is conversion therapy repackaged, promoted to parents in moments of fear or confusion when they are most vulnerable to misleading framing. Knowing what to look for is the first step toward protecting a child from a practice that every major American medical organization has labeled harmful.

The scientific record is not ambiguous. The American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with more than a dozen similar bodies, formally oppose conversion therapy. Their positions have not changed because of the Chiles ruling or HB26-1322.

The full text of HB26-1322 is available publicly. The Trevor Project operates a 24/7 crisis line for LGBTQ+ youth. PFLAG offers family support through its national helpline and local chapters.

For parents navigating these questions, the law and the science both point in the same direction. Conversion Truth for Families helps parents follow that direction without losing their footing.