“The First Amendment stands as a bulwark against any effort to prescribe an orthodoxy of views, reflecting a belief that each American enjoys an inalienable right to speak his mind and a faith in the free marketplace of ideas as the best means for finding truth.” Chiles v Salaazar, decided March 31, 2026
In a historic, 8-1 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in Chiles v. Salazar, striking down Colorado’s law that restricted counselors from affirming a client’s biological sex as unconstitutional.
This decision is significant on its own, but is especially striking that it was handed down today, on “Transgender Day of Visibility.”
This activist created recognition has been around since 2009. It is intended to elevate and recognize the experience of those who identify as transgender; named as a day of ‘visibility’ to reference them feeling overlooked.
Lawmakers in over half of the states – including Delaware – passed so-called “conversion therapy” laws, mandating that licensed counselors can only affirm a client’s gender identity or same-sex attraction — even if the client specifically states that this attraction or identity is unwanted. These laws did not simply regulate conduct; they compelled speech.
That is exactly what the First Amendment forbids.
Colorado licensed counselor Kaley Chiles challenged the law. Alliance Defending Freedom, our national legal partners, defended Ms. Chiles in court.
Today (March 31), the Supreme Court struck down these conversion therapy laws as unconstitutional. This is HUGE!
This isn’t just a legal decision – it has real, human implications.
Conversation is crucial and can be highly effective for those experiencing gender dysphoria, to help them explore underlying factors and process trauma. Good counseling focuses on whole-person care, not simply steering someone toward a predetermined outcome or an ideological framework.
This ruling helps to restore that.
It ensures that individuals can speak openly with a counselor and receive the kind of help they actually need—rather than being limited to one set of answers shaped by political or ideological pressure.
And here’s where the moment becomes even more profound.
On a day meant to highlight visibility, this decision also brings into view those who have long felt invisible—detransitioners. These are individuals who underwent medical or social transition and now live with the consequences—often without support, acknowledgment, or even the freedom to speak openly about their experiences without condemnation.
Many of those individuals could not seek unbiased counseling because of conversion therapy bans, and were instead pushed to surgical procedures.
What This Means for Delaware
This Supreme Court decision represents another instance of federal accountability reigning in Delaware’s rush toward becoming a sanctuary state for the gender transition industry. It pushes back against the policies that enforce radical ideology in our state.
What can you do in light of this Supreme Court case?
Educate yourselves. Are you prepared to disciple a young person in your life who is struggling with gender dysphoria? What will you do if your child or grandchild, student, friend, or a member of your youth group expresses gender confusion? Can you articulate your convictions in a culture that increasingly labels biological realities as offensive? Can you speak from the lens of a biblical worldview with grace and love?
Email us at info@delawarefamilies.org with the phrase “Equip Me!” for a list of excellent resources that will equip you for these conversations.
Silence is not a neutral posture; it is a surrender of ground. The freedom of speech is not simply about expression. It’s about the preservation of truth in the public square.
If we fail to exercise and defend these truths in the public square today, we may lose our ability to do so without persecution in the future.
We have a worldview rooted in reality — one that recognizes design, purpose, and the inherent dignity of every person. It is a worldview that acknowledges both the ability of humanity to flourish within that design and the dire consequences of departing from it.
It’s a worldview worth defending.