“Boy Erased” Author Garrard Conley Reacts to 'Humiliation' of Supreme Court Conversion Therapy Ruling

Raven BrunnerTue, March 31, 2026 at 9:00 PM UTC

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Garrard Conley.Credit: Rob Latour/Variety/Penske Media via Getty -

Boy Erased author Garrard Conley shared his thoughts on the Supreme Court of the United States’s ruling against a law banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ kids in Colorado

“I thought I was prepared for the ruling. I’d read all the documents. I’d been involved. But when I saw it in print, what it actually felt like was humiliation," he said in a recent interview

The March 31 ruling cited concerns about free speech

Boy Erased author Garrard Conley shared his thoughts on the Supreme Court of the United States’s ruling against a law banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ kids in Colorado.

The March 31 ruling, per the Chicago Tribune, received a 8-1 majority and cited concerns about free speech. The case will next be reviewed by a lower court.

“I thought I was prepared for the ruling. I’d read all the documents. I’d been involved. But when I saw it in print, what it actually felt like was humiliation. It felt like being told that all of the work — all of it — was somehow unnecessary,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Tuesday, March 31.

The author’s 2016 memoir detailed his experience growing up in a fundamentalist family and being enrolled in a conversation therapy program. It was adapted into a 2018 film with the same name, starring Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Lucas Hedges.

Conley told the outlet that he called his mom after he saw the news.

"She said: ‘I’m just so mad.’ And then she said something I couldn’t have put better myself: ‘What happened to you was speech. And speech does harm — especially from people you put your trust in,’ " he recalled of his conversation with his loved one.

The author said reading through the ruling "felt like reading an alien language.”

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The Supreme Court of the United States.Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty

“Not because it’s difficult, but because I can’t follow the logic. They’ve framed this as a speech case rather than a question of medical regulation. And what that tells me, reading between the lines, is that they’re treating the identity of gay, lesbian and trans people as an idea that’s up for debate, rather than a scientific truth. Because of that, they’re willing to call this a belief issue,” he continued.

Conley was given an ultimatum by his father, a Baptist pastor, to attend the Love in Action program or lose the support of his family when he was 19 years old in 2004.

Garrard Conley attends Authors Night With The East Hampton Library on August 10, 2019 in East Hampton, New York.Credit: Eugene Gologursky/Getty

“The program used a 12-step model based on Alcoholics Anonymous to lead people out of what they called ‘the sin of homosexuality.’ We had what were called ‘rap sessions.’ We were placed with people dealing with bestiality, pedophilia, marriage issues, gender confusion, all under the idea that every sin is equal in the eyes of God,” he said of the program.

The ruling has put other states with similar bans against the discredited practice at risk.

“So-called ‘conversion therapy’ is pseudoscience, not real therapy, It has been condemned by every mainstream medical and mental health association and harms families, traumatizes children and robs people of their faith communities. It is cruel and should never be offered under the guise of legitimate mental healthcare,” Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.

“To undermine protections that keep kids and families safe from these abusive practices is shocking — and our children deserve better,” she added.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”