On the heels of a court decision that Colorado LGBTQ+ advocates worried weakened protections against so-called “conversion therapy” in the state, a new law signed Monday will codify protections against the widely debunked practice.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, joined elected officials in Denver Monday morning to sign into law HB26-1322, a bill that bans therapists in the state from imposing a “predetermined outcome” around sexual orientation or gender identity onto a young patient.
The bill was passed by Democrats in the Colorado statehouse last month, and Polis signed the bill on the first day of Pride Month.
“Conversion Therapy is harmful, can traumatize kids, and is a scam to waste people's hard-earned money,” Polis, who is gay, said in a Monday press release. “This new law provides Coloradans who have been subject to this dehumanizing treatment with the tools to heal and move on to live strong, healthy and authentic lives.”
Colorado state lawmakers championed the bill after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in March that Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy was not “viewpoint neutral.” Colorado Democrats said the new bill modifies language around the state’s previous conversion therapy laws to ensure that LGBTQ+ residents retain protection from the practice.
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The law also extends the statute of limitations for cases of malpractice tied to conversion therapy, giving survivors more time to pursue legal and financial claims.
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