Whitmer's law DEFEATED! Therapists are free to steer kids away from trans insanity

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and LGBT activists in the Michigan legislature were dealt a massive defeat on Thursday after a lengthy battle over a law that threatened to ruin counselors who help gender-confused children by compassionately grounding them in reality, not affirming delusions. Luke Goodrich, senior counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and attorney for the counselors, said in a statement, "This is a major victory for children, counselors, and common sense."'Michigan is now admitting its law is unconstitutional.'"Kids who are hurting deserve compassion, not a one-way ticket to harmful drugs, hormones, and surgery," added the attorney. Democrats in Michigan and Colorado put smiles on fellow LGBT activists' faces in recent years by passing laws prohibiting so-called "conversion therapy" for minors.Under Democrats' House Bills 4616 and 4617 in Michigan and House Bill 19-1172 in Colorado — which defined "conversion therapy" as efforts to "change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity" — psychiatrists and mental health care providers who failed to indulge delusions or affirm homosexual inclination could face disciplinary actions, lose their licenses, and/or receive enormous fines.Of course, these laws did not similarly prohibit gender ideologues from encouraging confused kids in therapy sessions to embrace the delusion that they are actually members of the opposite sex or to undergo sex-rejection medical procedures.RELATED: Oregon's war on confused children, by the numbers: It's REALLY bad Alex Kraus/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesAfter ratifying her state's version of the prohibition on reality-affirming counseling in July 2023, Whitmer stated, "We are banning the horrific practice of conversion therapy in Michigan and ensuring this is a state where you can be who you are.""As a mom of a member of the community and a proud, lifelong ally, I am grateful that we are taking action to make Michigan a more welcoming, inclusive place," added Whitmer, whose daughter identifies as a lesbian.The following year, a licensed Catholic therapist living in Lansing, Emily McJones, and the Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee, and Hillsdale Counties filed a federal lawsuit against Whitmer and the state of Michigan, arguing that HB 4616 constituted an attempt to control counselors' speech that violates several constitutional protections."It violates the Free Speech Clause because it regulates speech based on its content and viewpoint and cannot satisfy strict scrutiny," said the complaint. "It violates the Due Process Clause because it employs vague, undefined terms that invite arbitrary and selective enforcement. And it violates the Free Exercise Clause because it targets religious speech and interferes with the right of parents to direct the religious upbringing of their children."The lawsuit noted further that the law harms children, not only because it deprived them of the compassionate counseling they need but forced counselors "to 'affirm' children in the belief that they were born in the wrong body and help them undergo permanent, life-altering medical procedures that many will come to regret."The plaintiffs suffered an initial setback in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, where Judge Jane Beckering — an appointee of former President Joe Biden — denied their motion for a preliminary injunction and claimed that therapy amounts to conduct rather than protected speech.In December 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed the Biden judge's decision. The case was subsequently kicked back to the district court, which issued a preliminary injunction against the law. The final resolution of the matter was, however, put on the back burner pending the result of the Supreme Court's decision in Chiles v. Salazar regarding the law in Colorado. On March 31, SCOTUS determined that Colorado's ban "regulates speech based on viewpoint" in violation of the First Amendment.In light of the decisions by the Supreme Court and the Sixth Circuit, the district court in Michigan delivered a final ruling on Thursday, permanently banning the enforcement of Whitmer's controversial law."The Court hereby DECLARES that HB 4616, as applied to licensed mental health professionals engaged in therapy that consists exclusively of talking, violates the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution," Beckering wrote in her final judgment. "The Court hereby PROHIBITS Defendants, their successors, agents, and all those acting in concert with them from enforcing HB 4616 against licensed professionals who engage in therapy that consists exclusively of talking.""Michigan is now admitting its law is unconstitutional," said Goodrich. "Its surrender confirms that the Constitution and the best available science are on the side of counselors who help children find peace with their bodies. States still trying to censor that care should take note."Whitmer's office did not immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!