Shannon Minter

“It's very frustrating as someone involved in helping to draft these laws. We went to great lengths to ensure they are even-handed, but the court seized on certain language in the statute, took it out of context, and read it as suggesting that the law is saying that it is okay to support or affirm, although the word 'affirm' appears nowhere in the statute.”

A direct challenge from a policy drafter, accusing the Supreme Court of misrepresenting legislative intent and misinterpreting the actual text of the law.

Shannon Minter

“The law is not about 'do you affirm a kid being gay or transgender, or do you disaffirm a kid being gay or transgender?' It is about 'can a therapist bring their own agenda to therapy and try to direct the outcome, like have the goal of therapy be to impose a particular sexual orientation or gender identity on a kid?'”

This quote directly refutes a Supreme Court justice's legal hypothetical, clarifying the core intent of conversion therapy bans as preventing harm through imposing an agenda, not limiting affirmation.

Shannon Minter

“This leaves the door open, I think, for potentially even rewriting these statutes in a way that might not trigger strict scrutiny.”

This suggests a strategic legal pathway for circumventing judicial oversight, raising questions about legislative and policy adaptability in response to court rulings.

Shannon Minter