A Catholic group and counselor are suing Michigan officials over the state's ban on so-called conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth, claiming it violates First Amendment rights to free speech and religious expression.
The lawsuit filed Friday by Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties and Emily Jones, a self-described "devout Catholic" and licensed therapist, seeks to block enforcement of the measure signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer a year ago.
The move made Michigan the 22nd state to outlaw conversion therapy for minors, with Whitmer — lead defendant in the lawsuit — calling it a "horrific practice" and saying the ban was needed to make the state a place "where you can be who you are," the Associated Press reported at the time.
Conversion therapy involves "sustained efforts to discourage or change behaviors related to LGBTQ+ identities and expressions," and has been widely discredited by professional organizations, according to the American Psychological Association.
In court papers filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, Catholic Charities and Jones said their lawsuit was intended to help children who "experience distress over their biological sex."
They alleged that many kids who have identified themselves as transgender have been "encouraged to undergo a gender transition" — including "puberty blocking drugs, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries" — when they sought counseling.
The plaintiffs said that there's "no sound evidence that such medical interventions provide any long-term benefits," and that they have instead "helped clients change their behavior and gender expression in ways that better align with the clients' own unique goals for their lives — including by accepting and embracing their biological sex."
"The First Amendment protects not only the right to disseminate information but also the 'reciprocal right to receive' information," according to the lawsuit, which cited a 1976 Supreme Court ruling in a Virginia case.
A spokesperson for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who's among the defendants in the case, didn't immediately return a request for comment, according to the Detroit News, which first reported on the lawsuit.
But state Rep. Felicia Brabec, who sponsored the underlying legislation, defended the crackdown on conversion therapy for minors.
"As a clinical psychologist, I cannot emphasize enough how dangerous this practice is and that to call it therapy is misleading and treacherous," said Brabec, who hadn't yet seen the lawsuit.
