Attorney General James Urges Court to Protect LGBTQ+ Youth from Conversion Therapy

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James joined a coalition of 20 other attorneys general in urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to uphold Michigan’s ban on conversion therapy for minors. In an amicus brief filed in Catholic Charities v. Whitmer, Attorney General James and the coalition support Michigan as it faces a challenge to its ban on conversion therapy for minors, a practice that is proven to be both dangerous and ineffective. Conversion therapy is shown to increase risks of suicide and depression, especially among transgender youth. The coalition emphasizes that states across the country have banned conversion therapy because it fails to meet acceptable standards of professional medical practice and puts the LGBTQ+ community at risk of harm.

“No one should ever be subject to the harmful practice of conversion therapy,” said Attorney General James. “At a time when the LGBTQ+ community is under attack by the federal administration, states must stand firm in defending their rights and dignity. Michigan is on the right side of history by protecting youth from the disavowed practice of conversion therapy and we are fighting alongside them to keep this ban in place.”

Conversion therapy is a widely disavowed practice intended to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity based on the false premise that LGBTQ+ identities are a mental illness. In their brief, the attorneys general explain that Michigan and other states have properly protected youth from conversion therapy, a practice that has proven to be harmful, has been widely discredited, and does not meet acceptable standards of professional medical practice. The attorneys general also assert that the practice is overwhelmingly disavowed by major professional health associations, including the American Psychological Association and the American Medical Association.

Over 25 states have restrictions on conversion therapy, including New York. These bans on conversion therapy rely on the large body of evidence that conversion therapy for youth is not only ineffective, but also causes mental and physical harm. The coalition argues that prohibiting conversion therapy does not violate the First Amendment because states can regulate professional conduct, even if that conduct involves speech. The attorneys general say striking down a ban on conversion therapy would likely create profound unintended consequences for states’ authority to regulate professional practices within their borders as they have throughout most of the nation’s history.

Michigan began prohibiting licensed mental health practitioners from practicing conversion therapy on minors in 2023 in light of mounting evidence that it causes young people serious harm. A 2020 peer-reviewed study found that LGBTQ+ youth who had been subjected to conversion therapy attempted suicide at a rate nearly three times higher than other minors. Over 60 percent of transgender and gender-nonconforming youth who go through conversion therapy before age ten attempt suicide. The practice of conversion therapy is also based on scientifically questionable theories, and can include the use of “aversion therapy” treatments, including electric shock treatment, nausea-inducing drugs, or psychoanalytic treatments that undermine the health and dignity of LGBTQ+ youth.

In 2019, the New York State Legislature passed a bill that prohibited mental health professionals from practicing conversion therapy on minors. Many cities and counties throughout New York have also passed bans on the largely condemned practice prior to the passage of the statewide bill.

Joining Attorney General James in submitting this brief are the attorneys general of the California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.