[REVISION HISTORY]

Michigan and Washington conversion therapy bans blocked

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-21 15:39 UTC → 2026-08-24 17:24 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In late July 2026, a Michigan district court judge issued a permanent order halting the state's 2023 law that prohibited conversion‑therapy‑type counseling for minors. The state agreed to comply, effectively stopping enforcement of the ban. The court found the law violated the First Amendment by compelling therapists to affirm transgender identities. Two days later, a federal judge entered a stipulated judgment that also permanently blocked the law, after the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed an earlier state‑court ruling and classified the ban as viewpoint‑based discrimination, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in *Chiles v. Salazar* that struck down a similar Colorado ban. In early August, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that comparable bans violate the First Amendment. Michigan reaffirmed its decision not to enforce the 2023 ban, and a district judge awarded $750,000 in attorney fees while extending the block to licensed professionals providing talk‑therapy. The Supreme Court decision also revived a challenge to Washington's 2018 ban. In late August, Washington state officials agreed to stop enforcing the counseling ban against Christian therapist Brian Tingley while his lawsuit continues. A preliminary order protects Tingley from complaints regarding his faith-based talk therapy, though the state’s law remains in effect for other counselors as litigation proceeds. ~~These developments highlight~~ On August 24, a ~~broader national shift against statutes labeling gender‑affirming~~ federal district court in Washington agreed to reopen the legal challenge brought by Tingley. Represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, Tingley contends that the 2018 law, SB 5722, constitutes censorship of his speech by creating a viewpoint-based restriction that allows support for gender transition while prohibiting counseling ~~as conversion therapy.~~ aimed at achieving comfort with one's biological sex. This reopening follows the precedent set by the Supreme Court in *Chiles v. Salazar*.

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