“Conversion Therapy” Accountability Bill Passes Committee

HB26-1322 would create a civil cause of action for harm done by “conversion therapy”

DENVER, CO – Legislation sponsored by Senate Assistant Majority Leader Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, and Senator Kyle Mullica, D-Thornton, to allow Coloradans to pursue a civil cause of action for damages related to “conversion therapy” passed the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday.

"Mental health is crucial to our overall health and wellbeing. A licensed therapist should not inflict harm on a child or young person by steering them in any predetermined direction," said Cutter. "This bill simply recognizes that real harm can be inflicted in the name of therapy, and that this harm might not be fully understood for many years. We are simply allowing people to have the time to process and understand the trauma that might have been inflicted, and seek the remedies already available to them under Colorado law."

“It is critical that we as policymakers listen to trusted scientific organizations when they tell us a practice is harmful. For over a decade, we’ve known that ‘conversion therapy’ increases suicidality and exacerbates depression and anxiety for LGBTQ+ Coloradans,” Mullica said. “In light of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, it’s vital that we create avenues for those who have been subjected to ‘conversion therapy’ to get some justice.”

Beginning July 1, 2026, HB26-1322 would allow an individual who was subject to “conversion therapy” to bring a civil cause of action against certain professionals who cause damages from efforts to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. These actions could be brought only against a licensed mental health professional who engages in “conversion therapy,” a person or entity that employed or supervised the professional and knew or should have known of the conduct, a person who does not try to prevent or stop the professional, or a person who negligently hired or supervised the professional. 

Currently, Colorado law requires these claims to be filed within two years. The bill would remove this time restriction, and if the impacted individual has passed away, their representative could bring a survival action within five years of the individual’s death.

A 2024 report from the Trevor Project found that 14 percent of LGBTQ+ youth in Colorado have been threatened with or subjected to “conversion therapy.”

In 2009, the American Psychological Association Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation concluded that “conversion therapy” is not likely to be successful and increases the risk of depression, suicidality and anxiety. The American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and many other mental health and medical organizations believe that “conversion therapy” is harmful and ineffective.

In 2019, Colorado Democrats passed a law to ban state-licensed medical or mental health care providers from providing “conversion therapy” to minors. The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled against this law, making it vitally important to create new protections for people who are harmed by “conversion therapy.” 

HB26-1332 now moves to the Senate floor for further consideration. Track its progress here.