The Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday about whether a Colorado law banning “conversion therapy”—that is, efforts by psychologists or counselors to get people to change their sexual orientation—violates the First Amendment. The Justices seem likely to strike the ban down, and that’s a good thing.

Opponents say conversion therapy is harmful because it involves pressuring or shaming people into denying their sexual identities, which can cause lasting psychological damage. Today, more than 20 states have outlawed it. Arizona legislators rejected a ban this summer, but Governor Katie Hobbs signed an executive order in 2023 blocking state agencies from paying for it.

Maybe the critics are right, and maybe they’re wrong. But one thing is clear: conversion therapy—at least, the kind offered by counselor Kaley Chiles, the plaintiff in the Colorado lawsuit—isn’t like other kinds of treatment. It involves no medical intervention. It consists exclusively of talking.

Chiles is a devout Christian who considers homosexuality sinful and thinks people can end their same-sex attractions through conversation, reflection, and prayer. She addresses her clients’ sexual identity issues the same way she addresses........

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