Impact on Protections Against Conversion Therapy in Minnesota and North Dakota

On March 31, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Chiles v. Salazar, dealing a major blow to Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy — a dangerous and discredited practice that harms LGBTQ+ youth.

Gender Justice Legal Director Jess Braverman, Gender Justice Senior Advisor Erin Maye Quade, and Minnesota State Senator Scott Dibble (chief author of Minnesota’s conversion therapy ban) discuss the impact of this decision in Minnesota and North Dakota and how we move forward. Below, watch the full conversation and read our top takeaways.

1. This decision will weaken Minnesota and North Dakota’s protections against conversion therapy — but won’t eliminate them.

This decision does not automatically end protections against conversion therapy in Minnesota or North Dakota. Minnesota’s state law banning conversion therapy still stands. North Dakota’s Board of Social Work Examiners policy of considering conversion therapy an ethics violation still stands.

However, this decision invites legal attacks on these protections. And given the Chiles v. Salazar decision, the U.S. Supreme Court is unlikely to allow bans on conversion talk therapy to stand.

2. We will keep fighting for our kids’ safety — and we have strong tools in that fight.

There is a reason over two dozen states, Puerto Rico, and D.C. have banned or limited conversion therapy and every major medical association has condemned it. This is a discredited and deeply harmful practice. By weakening protections, the Court’s decision puts kids back in harm’s way and blocks states from setting and enforcing basic standards for ethical mental health care.

We will keep fighting for every child’s right to grow up safe, affirmed, and supported. And we have strong tools in that fight.

• Minnesota’s conversion therapy ban includes two elements — a block on false advertising of conversion therapy and a block on using taxpayer dollars to fund conversion therapy — that are not impacted by this decision.
• Minnesota legislators are also working to pass bills that would block private insurance funding for conversion therapy and would facilitate a path for people harmed by conversion therapy to seek damages (simultaneously supporting legal recourse and discouraging the practice in the first place).
• Professional licensure boards, including boards that license therapists, continue to have the ability to censure and de-license folks engaging in dangerous and unethical practices. Reporting harmful behavior remains effective.

This is a heavy moment, and for LGBTQ+ youth and adults who have been subjected to conversion therapy, that weight is deeply personal. But this fight is not over. Together, we will stand with our LGBTQ+ neighbors and defend every child’s right to safety, dignity, empowerment, and affirmation.

Take Action

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