Gibson Dunn Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of The Trevor Project and the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Case Involving Ban on Conversion Therapy
Firm News | February 20, 2026
Gibson Dunn filed an amicus brief on behalf of The Trevor Project and the National Alliance on Mental Illness at the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in Bury v. City of Kansas City in support of appellees Kansas City and Jackson County and the municipalities’ narrowly-tailored ban on conversion therapy.
The case concerns whether Kansas City and Jackson County’s bans, which prohibit licensed therapists from using conversion therapy on minors to attempt to change their sexual orientation or gender identity, violates the First Amendment. Amici argue that the ban prevents a practice that causes serious harm to LGBTQ youth. The Trevor Project’s data and experience confirms that conversion therapy delivered under the guise of professional care is dangerous and causes significant harm to LGBTQ youth, including increasing their risk of attempting or dying by suicide. The Kansas City and Jackson County legislatures properly considered this data and competing positions and ultimately concluded that a ban was necessary to mitigate the established serious harm arising from conversion therapy. In passing the ban, under United States v. Skrmetti and a long line of precedent, the municipalities exercised their traditional authority to protect minors and their authority to regulate medical treatments and standards of care offered by licensed professionals.
The Gibson Dunn team, led by associate Kelly Herbert, includes partner Abbey Hudson and associates Apratim Vidyarthi, Cate Nash, Alexander Fischer, Julia Doody, and Quinn Ferrar.