(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Supreme Court granted a therapist from Colorado Springs the request to review Colorado’s conversion therapy ban for minors.

The ban went into effect in 2019 to stop licensed mental health professionals from engaging in conversion therapy to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

“I hope the Supreme Court will protect my free speech rights so that I can continue to offer care and support my clients’ needs without fear of government censorship. I’m committed to helping my clients, and I believe the Constitution guarantees my right to do so,” said Kayle Chiles, a licensed counselor in Colorado Springs.

According to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), Chiles wants to continue helping her clients without being ‘forced’ to promote the government’s gender ideology.

“We are eager to defend Kayle’s First Amendment rights before the Supreme Court, and we’re hopeful that the high court will affirm a very basic truth in this case that government officials may not impose their ideology on private conversations between counselors and their clients,” said Jim Campbell, ADF Chief Legal Counsel.

Fox21 spoke to a representative from Prism Community Collective, a program in Colorado Springs that offers resources to the LGBTQ+ community, and she said kids who participate in conversion therapy become twice as likely to commit suicide.

“When we’re looking at a comprehensive community approach to reduce death by suicide, part of that is supporting the the ban on conversion therapy,” said Nichole Johnston, with Suicide Prevention Collaborative.

“Children today are struggling with complex issues, and they need space to explore their feelings and concerns,” said Chiles.

ADF says the law allows counseling conversations that direct people towards a gender identity different from their sex, but it prohibits conversations that help them return to comfort with their sex.

“Unfortunately, only Colorado’s law pushes them toward harmful medical interventions like drugs and surgeries by prohibiting supportive conversations that could help them navigate their struggles in a healthier way. This is deeply concerning,” said Chiles.

However, Johnston says that is not the case: “It is a false narrative to say that doctors are pushing medications on young people and parents. The Academy of Pediatrics has a long-standing history against conversion therapy.

A Colorado district court judge rejected Chiles’s suit in 2022 alongside a panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in 2023 that the law regulates professional conduct, not speech.

“Colorado has yet to grasp the fundamental truth that the government cannot censor free speech, especially when doing so harms counselors and the clients they’re seeking to help. There is a growing consensus around the world that children experiencing gender dysphoria need love and an opportunity to talk through their feelings and their struggles,” said Campbell.

Chiles is facing a five-thousand dollar fine per violation and could even lose her license.

“Kayle sees her work as an expression of her faith, and her primary goal is to help her clients get the help that they need. Many of her clients come to her because they share her Christian worldview and her faith-based values. These clients believe that their lives would be more fulfilling if they were aligned with their faith,” said Campbell.

However, some people do not think faith should be brought into the conversation.

“They should not be leading by their religion; they should be leading from what their medical school has taught them and also the best standards for being a licensed therapist,” added Johnston.

The case is expected to be heard by Justices in October. Currently, more than twenty states, including Colorado, have bans on therapy aimed at minors.

Attorney General Phil Weiser told Fox21 he is committed to defending the state law.

“States have long regulated medical practices to protect patients from unsafe, harmful professional conduct. Colorado’s law protecting young people from unscientific and cruel gay conversion therapy practices is humane, smart, and appropriate. We prevailed at the district court and 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, and we’re committed to defending the law at the Supreme Court.”

Attorney General Phil Weiser