Cassidy Condemns Supreme Court Decision In Chiles v. Salazar

CHICAGO – State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Chiles v. Salazar, which ruled state bans on conversion therapy as violations of the 1st amendment of the U.S. Constitution:

“As the lead sponsor on the state’s 11 year old ban on the unethical practice of conversion abuse at the hands of medical professionals, I remain committed to ensuring that our state continues to lead the way in finding ways to protect our LGBTQ+ community from increasingly aggressive federal attacks on state laws protecting the community.

“While the timing of the decision being released on Transgender Day of Visibility is a cruel one, this decision is a technical one, essentially instructing the Colorado courts to reexamine the case under a more intense legal analysis. As such, our state’s ban is not directly impacted by this decision, although we are working closely with advocates to prepare for the possibility that future decisions will.

“It’s also very important to note what this decision does not do: it does not impact the various organizations representing licensed medical professionals whose codes of ethics prohibit the debunked practice often referred to as ‘conversion therapy,’ so even in a world where the courts ultimately overturn state bans, there are still disciplinary and license consequences for medical professionals who engage in conversion abuse via those professional organizations, nor does it impact the ability to use civil courts to sue for malpractice.”

Kyle Hillman, Director of Legislative Affairs of National Association of Social Workers Illinois Chapter, added:

“Today’s decision is a painful reminder of how much work remains to protect the young people most vulnerable to harm. Conversion ‘therapy’ is not therapy. It is abuse, and it causes documented psychological damage. No ethical social worker or mental health clinician should be engaging in this practice, full stop, regardless of what any court decides. We stand with the legislators and advocates who have spent more than a decade fighting to protect LGBTQ+ youth in this state, and we will keep fighting alongside them.”