Ohio Faces Uphill Battle to Ban Conversion Therapy After SCOTUS Ruling

Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio says a U.S. Supreme Court decision on a Colorado law will make an already difficult path to banning conversion therapy in Ohio even harder.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 9:35pm

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The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against Colorado's ban on 'conversion therapy' for LGBTQ youth makes an already uphill battle to outlaw the practice in Ohio even steeper, according to Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio. The court's 8-1 decision said Colorado's law prohibiting licensed mental health providers from engaging in conversion therapy for minor patients constitutes viewpoint discrimination under the First Amendment. While the decision does not strike down the law, it sends it back to a lower court, making passage of a similar bill in Ohio's Republican-dominated legislature even more difficult.

Why it matters

Conversion therapy, which seeks to change a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, has been widely condemned by medical and mental health organizations as harmful and potentially deadly. Ohio has a patchwork of county and municipal bans, but a statewide ban proposed by Antonio faces long odds in the state's conservative legislature.

The details

Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, the first openly gay person to serve in the Ohio General Assembly, has introduced legislation that would prohibit licensed health care professionals from engaging in conversion therapy for minor patients. However, Antonio acknowledged that the bill, which hasn't had any hearings, already faced extremely long odds in the Republican-dominated General Assembly, and the Supreme Court's ruling makes passage even more difficult.

  • The U.S. Supreme Court issued an 8-1 decision on Tuesday.
  • Cuyahoga County became the first county in Ohio to enact a ban on conversion therapy in September 2025.

The players

Nickie Antonio

Senate Minority Leader and the first openly gay person to serve in the Ohio General Assembly.

Beth Liston

State Senator who co-sponsored the bill with Nickie Antonio to prohibit conversion therapy in Ohio.

Shannon Minter

Legal director of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, who expects a period of 'indeterminacy' following the Supreme Court decision, during which other states' laws may face challenges.

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What they’re saying

“I think unfortunately — even though the decision by the Supreme Court does not say that, and it says they were worried about the free speech rights of a therapist and kicked it back to the Colorado court — my concern is that people will walk away from this saying conversion therapy is OK. It is not.”

— Nickie Antonio, Senate Minority Leader

“I would hate for parents, families or young people to think that they may lose all protection. At the same time, it makes me 100% determined that our equality and our dignity and worth are absolutely worth fighting for and worth continuing to push back.”

— Nickie Antonio, Senate Minority Leader

“This decision today makes it even more difficult.”

— Nickie Antonio, Senate Minority Leader

What’s next

The Ohio bill banning conversion therapy will now face an even tougher path forward in the Republican-controlled legislature following the Supreme Court's ruling on the Colorado law.

The takeaway

The Supreme Court's decision, while not striking down the Colorado law, has created new legal uncertainty around conversion therapy bans, making the fight to protect LGBTQ youth in Ohio and other states even more challenging. However, advocates remain determined to continue pushing for legislation and other measures to prevent the harmful practice.