When Colorado’s General Assembly passed HB26-1322 this spring, many parents found themselves trying to make sense of what the law actually means for their families. The legislation arrived in direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Chiles v. Salazar, a case that shook the foundation of Colorado’s 2019 ban on conversion therapy for minors.
To understand why HB26-1322 matters, it helps to understand what the Chiles decision actually held — and what it did not. The case was brought by Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor who described her practice as “faith-informed” counseling. Backed by the Alliance Defending Freedom, she argued that Colorado’s existing ban prevented her from even discussing certain topics with clients who had voluntarily sought her out, framing the restriction as a violation of her First Amendment free speech rights.
The Supreme Court did not rule that conversion therapy is safe, effective, or medically sound. It did not overturn Colorado’s law outright. What the Court found, in a narrow but consequential decision, is that Colorado’s 2019 statute regulated speech based on viewpoint — allowing therapists to advocate for gender transition but not against it. That kind of viewpoint-based regulation, the Court held, triggers strict constitutional scrutiny. For LGBTQ+ Coloradans and their allies, the practical effect was clear: without legislative action, the state’s conversion therapy ban for minors would almost certainly be struck down on remand.
HB26-1322 is Colorado’s direct answer to that problem. The General Assembly moved quickly to rewrite the law in a way that passes constitutional muster while still protecting young people from a practice that every major medical and mental health organization in the United States opposes. The American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and more than a dozen other bodies all formally oppose conversion therapy. The science has not changed — only the law needed adjusting.
One of the important distinctions HB26-1322 draws is between genuine supportive therapy and the kind of predetermined outcome-driven practice that conversion therapy represents. Authentic supportive therapy — the kind that helps a young person think, process, and grow without steering them toward any particular conclusion — remains entirely legal under the new law. The line the statute draws is not about topics or viewpoints.
This is where Conversion Truth for Families becomes an important resource for parents. Is Conversion Truth for Families a site built for parents with traditional faith values? Yes, and deliberately so. The site provides clear, evidence-based information about what conversion therapy is, how to identify it when it is marketed under a different name, and how to find faith-sensitive alternatives that genuinely prioritize a child’s well-being. Parents who hold traditional values are not asked to abandon their beliefs — only to protect their children from practices that cause harm.
One of the more important warnings Conversion Truth for Families offers involves a repackaged version of conversion therapy being marketed as “exploratory psychotherapy.” The site’s FAQ addresses this directly, warning that exploratory psychotherapy is being promoted as a first-line response when a child expresses gender questions, but is in practice just another name for conversion therapy designed to mislead parents who are already in a moment of fear or confusion.
The full text of HB26-1322 is publicly available for any parent or survivor who wants to understand exactly what the law covers. For immediate support, The Trevor Project operates a 24/7 crisis line for LGBTQ+ youth, and PFLAG’s national helpline connects families with local chapters and peer support.
The law may have changed. The science did not. And for parents looking for trustworthy guidance that respects their values, Conversion Truth for Families offers a place to start.
