Advocacy News

The US Joint Statement Against Conversion Efforts (USJS) is poised to play a crucial supportive role in a legal challenge during the US Supreme Court's upcoming 2025-26 session. This statement forms the foundation of an amicus brief filed on August 25, 2025, in the Chiles v Salazar case, which presents a significant legal challenge to a Colorado law prohibiting licensed mental health professionals from performing conversion therapy on minors. In this case, the plaintiff, Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor, argues that the Colorado law infringes upon her First Amendment rights to free speech and the free exercise of religion. She asserts that her Christian faith guides her counseling approach, which includes assisting clients in aligning with their biological sex and exploring methods to reduce or eliminate same-sex attractions or gender identity conflicts.

As detailed on Gaylesta's website here, the USJS is a declaration endorsed by major medical and mental health professional associations across the United States. A total of 29 associations, representing over 1.3 million healthcare providers, have signed this joint statement. The USJS declares that all healthcare providers should support the development of the full range of sexual orientations and gender identities in their patients without imposing ideological constraints. It also advocates for collaboration among healthcare professionals to promote LGBTQ+ health and well-being.

Lower courts have consistently upheld similar challenges in other states, classifying these laws as regulations of professional conduct rather than speech. These courts have maintained the legitimacy of state bans, citing an interest in protecting minors from discredited and potentially harmful conversion practices. In March 2025, the Chiles v Salazar case was granted certiorari by the Supreme Court, indicating their intent to address critical questions concerning the regulation of professional speech, the balance between state regulatory power and free speech rights, and the potential implications for therapeutic practices. A decision is anticipated by the end of June 2026, and it is likely to impact the viability of laws in 27 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., which ban licensed mental health professionals from providing sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) or gender identity change efforts (GICE) to minors.

The USJS was established over 10 years ago by two Gaylestans, Guy Albert PhD and Jim Walker LMFT. Despite neither having previously organized a national health policy initiative, their persistence and collaborative efforts enabled them to unite all major U.S. mental health and medical associations in a joint endorsement rejecting conversion efforts. The official website for the USJS can be found here, and its creation was made possible through generous funding from Gaylesta.

The Gaylesta board has come together with the advocacy committee to write a letter to Stanford expressing our profound disappointment with their decision to pause GAC for trans youth. We are sending letters directly to officials at Stanford hospital, as well as California legislators. We feel this is an incredibly important issue and want to stand behind our trans clients and our trans providers, showing our support, and expressing our deep disappointment. Please join us by:

1. Signing the petition
2. Passing it along to any and all healthcare providers that you know.

We believe we must take a stand. We hope you will join us. And we hope, too, that you feel the full weight of our support behind all of you who are working with, and are part of the trans community. We see you. And we are here to fight for you.

Below is the body of the letter:

Dear Stanford administrators, Stanford Medicine administrators, Stanford Children's Hospital administrators, and general counselors:

The board members and advocacy committee of Gaylesta, an LGBTQIA+ organization comprising over 500 mental health providers in the Bay Area, express profound concern and disappointment regarding Stanford’s recent decision to pause providing gender-affirming surgical procedures for patients under age 19.

Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth continue to experience heightened discrimination and legislative attacks nationwide, and the adverse outcomes from being denied gender-affirming care are well-documented. California has long served as a safe haven for TGD youth and their families. It is imperative that healthcare professionals continue providing this legal, empirically supported, life-saving care despite political pressure. Stanford’s decision tarnishes this reputation and erodes the trust that the TGD community has placed in your institution. This trust is further eroded by the abrupt nature of this decision that was made behind closed doors and without public transparency. 

California state law unequivocally supports access to gender-affirming care, as evidenced by SB-923, which ensures discrimination-free provision of care, and SB-107, which codifies youth access to gender-affirming medical care and protects providers from legal retaliation. Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with 13 other state attorneys general, has reaffirmed their commitment to upholding gender-affirming care in their respective states. Stanford’s decision contradicts these legal protections and sets a dangerous precedent. Preemptive compliance sends a distressing message to trans youth and their families that their healthcare is negotiable. 

As a leading pediatric healthcare institution, Stanford bears an ethical responsibility to provide evidence-based care grounded in facts, not fear. We urge you to reconsider this decision and immediately reinstate all gender-affirming services for youth. Upholding this care, particularly at this critical moment, affirms Stanford’s leadership in equity, inclusion, and the fundamental right to healthcare for all residents. We encourage Stanford to reaffirm its commitment to TGD youth and ensure their continued access to protected care.

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