Michigan Court Strikes Down State Conversion‑Therapy Ban for Minors

A federal judge has permanently blocked Michigan's 2023 law that barred licensed counselors from providing talk‑therapy to minors experiencing gender dysphoria. The law, House Bill 4616, was signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and previously upheld by a state judge. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision, finding the ban to be viewpoint‑based discrimination in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in *Chiles v. Salazar*, which struck down a similar Colorado ban.

The stipulated judgment, entered by U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering, ends any enforcement of the ban. The ruling follows related setbacks in other states, including a Washington case that was reopened after the Supreme Court decision and a settlement at University of Michigan Health‑West, where physician assistant Valerie Kloosterman received $410,000 after being fired for refusing to provide gender‑affirming treatments.

These developments mark a significant legal shift against statutes that label gender‑affirming counseling as "conversion therapy," affecting both public policy and the practice of mental‑health professionals across the United States.