The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has reversed key portions of a federal district court ruling against two Missouri counselors who are challenging counseling censorship ordinances adopted by Kansas City and Jackson County.
The 8th Circuit did so in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling against a similar Colorado law in March, in Chiles v. Salazar. Attorneys Michael Whitehead and Jon Whitehead represent the two counselors, Wyatt Bury and Pamela Eisenrich, along with attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom, who also represented the Colorado counselor in Chiles. The case is Wyatt Bury, et al. v. City of Kansas City, et al.
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In a July 2 per curiam opinion, an Eighth Circuit panel of three judges sent the case back to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in Kansas City, where it will return to Judge Roseann Ketchmark for further proceedings. (Per curiam means “through the court” and is a short, unsigned opinion joined by all three judges.)
Bury and Eisenreich are licensed professional counselors in the Kansas City, Missouri, area. They also are Christians. They challenged local ordinances that prohibit what the ordinances call “conversion therapy” with minors.
The ordinances define the prohibited counseling to include efforts to change sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors, gender expressions, or same-sex attractions, while expressly allowing counseling that supports gender transition or provides acceptance, support and understanding.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was originally published by the Pathway.
