The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists (AWAB) expresses deep disappointment in the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Chiles v. Salazar. In siding with the plaintiff and striking at the protections established by Colorado’s Minor Conversion Therapy Law, the Court has failed to uphold the responsibility of states to safeguard the well-being of vulnerable young people.
AWAB was honored to join an amicus curiae brief led by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, standing alongside a broad interfaith coalition committed to both religious freedom and the protection of children. At its core, this case has never been about limiting faith or speech. It has been about preventing harm.
So-called “conversion therapy” has been widely discredited and condemned by leading medical and mental health authorities, including the American Psychological Association. Research and survivor testimony consistently demonstrate that these practices increase the risk of trauma, depression, and suicide among LGBTQ+ youth.
Let us be clear: Conversion therapy is not ministry. It is abuse.
The Court’s ruling is a troubling step backward, one that elevates a misguided and harmful practice under the guise of protected speech while undermining established standards of professional care. Colorado’s law was a reasonable, neutral, and necessary effort to protect minors from demonstrable harm.
AWAB will remain unequivocal in its witness. We affirm that LGBTQ+ individuals are created in the image of God, fully and wonderfully made—no exceptions, no qualifications, no conditions. We reject any therapeutic or theological framework that suggests otherwise.
In the face of this decision, we will continue to advocate, to partner, and to proclaim a Gospel rooted in love, truth, and the full inclusion of all people.
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Rev. Brian Henderson is an ordained American Baptist minister who has served three congregations over 25 years. Brian has worked with the Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists’ Board and Staff since 2019 before beginning as full-time Executive Director in 2024.