FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 31st, 2026

Statement from Channyn Lynne Parker, CEO of Equality Illinois, on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 8–1 decision in Chiles v. Salazar:

"Today, the Supreme Court handed down an 8–1 decision in Chiles v. Salazar, striking down Colorado's ban on conversion therapy for minors. On International Transgender Day of Visibility. Let that land.

Equality Illinois is clear: we reject this ruling.

This is not a close call. Conversion therapy is not a debate. It is a discredited, dangerous practice that has been condemned by every major medical and mental health organization in this country. The Court's decision does not change that. It speaks to how states may regulate these practices, not to whether they cause harm. They do. They always have.

In Illinois, the law has not changed. Conversion therapy remains illegal. It is consumer fraud. It is medical malpractice. Practitioners who engage in it face real professional consequences. Nothing about today's decision alters that reality for Illinois families.

To every parent, provider, and young person in this state: you are protected. And to the young people this ruling puts at risk in other states, we see you. Your life is not a policy debate. Your existence does not require a defense.

On a day set aside to celebrate the visibility, dignity, and full humanity of transgender people, we refuse to be moved. LGBTQ+ youth deserve to be affirmed, supported, and safe. That is not a political position. It is a moral one.

We are not disheartened. We are determined."

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