Reacting to today’s Supreme Court decision in Chiles v. Salazar, Karla Gonzales Garcia, Gender, Sexuality and Identity Director at Amnesty International USA said:
“Today’s ruling in Chiles v. Salazar will have a devastating impact on the rights, health, and dignity of LGBTQ+ people across the United States.
“So-called ‘conversion therapy’ inflicts inconceivable harm on LGBTQ+ youth, resulting in a high risk of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. The practice can amount to torture, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. By removing safeguards that shield young people from these harms, today’s ruling leaves LGBTQ+ youth at the mercy of a highly unsafe, discredited practice. It weakens critical protections at a time of escalating anti-LGBTQ+ attacks across the country.
“LGBTQ+ youth have the same rights to a life of dignity and wellbeing as everybody else. They have the right to be protected from discrimination against their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“Today’s setback will not deter the work for LGBTQ+ rights, nor will it dismantle the resilience of the LGBTQ+ community. We are united in solidarity with every young person whose future feels less certain today. Together, we will continue to work towards a better future, where LGBTQ+ youth can enjoy their human right to live freely, safely, and authentically.”
Background:
The Chiles v. Salazar Supreme Court case concerns a Colorado ban on so-called “conversion therapy,” which refers to the harmful and discredited practice of attempting to change an LGBTQ+ person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Colorado enacted the ban based on “overwhelming evidence that efforts to change a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity are unsafe and ineffective.”
Conversion therapy practices are banned in 23 states plus the District of Columbia, and in dozens of municipalities for being discredited and harmful, causing negative impacts on youth including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicide. Such practices have been rejected by mainstream medical and mental health organizations for decades, and have been compared to “torture.”
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