A federal court has revitalized a Christian therapist’s legal challenge to a Washington state law that prohibits counseling for minors struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion.
According to a story by the Christian Post, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington chose last Thursday to reopen the lawsuit. The case revolves around Tingley v. Brown, filed by Brian Tingley over a 2018 law that bans “conversion therapy.”
Tingley, a licensed marriage and family therapist with more than 20 years of experience counseling adults and minors, says the law stops him from having voluntary conversations with young clients who share his Christian worldview and ask for his help.
The Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents Tingley, issued a press release last Friday celebrating the decision to revive the lawsuit against Washington state.
“We’re pleased the court reined in Washington state’s ideological crusade because it violated the First Amendment and deprived children of the help that they seek,” said ADF Senior Counsel Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse.
Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington state signed Senate Bill 5722 into law in 2018, which banned licensed therapists from taking part in sexual orientation change efforts therapy on minors.
However, the Supreme Court in March released its opinion in Chiles v. Salazar, ruling 8-1 that Colorado cannot prohibit therapists from counseling minors seeking to change their sexual orientation or treat gender dysphoria.
Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the majority opinion, writing that “we conclude that the courts below failed to apply sufficiently rigorous First Amendment scrutiny in this case.”
“While the First Amendment protects many and varied forms of expression, the spoken word is perhaps the quintessential form of protected speech. And that is exactly the kind of expression in which Ms. Chiles seeks to engage,” wrote Gorsuch.
Save and Share This Catholic Patriotic Minute!
