Lucas Hedges, in a scene from “Boy Erased”
In a devastating setback for human rights and the safety of LGBTQ+ youth, the Supreme Court issued a chilling 8-1 ruling today that guts the power of states to ban the discredited and harmful practice of conversion therapy.
By cynically framing the psychological coercion of minors as “protected speech,” the Court has effectively prioritized the rhetorical whims of bigoted practitioners over the lives and mental health of vulnerable children.
The decision threatens to dismantle years of hard-won progress, potentially reopening the floodgates for “reparative” programs that major medical associations have long condemned as torture.
For Garrard Conley, the activist and author whose courage gave a voice to survivors everywhere, the ruling was a gut-punch.
When his memoir Boy Erased was published in 2016, it served as a haunting reminder of a regressive past. Today, the Supreme Court turned that past into a terrifying future.
Conley, who spent his morning in a state of shock according to media reports, has become the face of the fight against these “treatments.”
His story is a testament to the resilience of the queer spirit, but his reaction today – simply put, he was not OK – mirrors the collective trauma of a community seeing its protections stripped away.
The Horrors of “Boy Erased”
Conley’s journey is a visceral example of the cruelty the Court has now shielded. Growing up as the son of a Baptist pastor in Arkansas, he wasn’t given a choice; he was given an ultimatum that no child should ever hear:
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The Ultimatum: Submit to a dehumanizing church-run program to “cure” his identity.
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The Penalty: The permanent loss of his family, his home, and his support system.
The “therapy” Conley endured—a brutal attempt to erase his very soul—was supposed to be a relic of a less enlightened time. Instead, the Court’s ruling suggests that the state is powerless to stop such psychological violence if it is labeled as “speech.”
Justice Sotomayor Stands Alone
In a blistering lone dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor was the only voice of reason on the bench, calling out the majority for abandoning children to “proven psychological harm.”
She argued that the First Amendment was never intended to be a shield for professional malpractice or the systemic abuse of minors.
The Fallout for the Community:
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Assault on Safety: Dozens of state bans that protected queer youth are now in the crosshairs of extremist legal groups.
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Legitimizing Pseudo-Science: By elevating conversion therapy to “protected speech,” the Court gives a platform to dangerous myths that have led to countless instances of depression, self-harm, and suicide.
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A Call to Action: Advocacy groups are already mobilizing, labeling the ruling a “human rights emergency” and calling for federal intervention to protect the next generation.
“We thought we were moving toward a world where no child would have to be ‘erased’ to be loved,” said one advocate. “Today, the Court told us that our children’s safety is less important than a bigot’s right to preach hate in a counselor’s office.”
For Garrard Conley and the survivors who follow in his footsteps, the fight has just become much harder—and much more urgent.
