Boca Raton Gay Conversion Therapy Ban Barred by 11th Circuit

Licensed therapists in Boca Raton, Fla., can engage in counseling or therapy designed to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity for now, as the Eleventh Circuit determined Friday that therapists are likely to succeed in proving the provisions violate their First Amendment free speech rights.

This treatment, known as sexual orientation change efforts, is “highly controversial,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit acknowledged. But “the First Amendment has no carveout for controversial speech,” it said. The court also refused to recognize a First Amendment exception for provisions that regulate “professional speech.”

Several states and municipalities ...