The Journal of Human Sexuality Volume 165 - 2025
A publication of The Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity
 
 
Chiles v. Salazar and the Future of Therapeutic Freedom
Volume 16 of the Journal of Human Sexuality is built around one of the most important religious–liberty and therapeutic–freedom cases of our time: Chiles v. Salazar. This issue is for readers who sense that something is deeply wrong when governments attempt to control what counselors and clients are allowed to say behind closed doors—and who want careful, evidence-based, principled analysis rather than slogans.
 
At the heart of this volume is a Special Section on Chiles v. Salazar, featuring:
An accessible introduction by editor Christopher H. Rosik, orienting readers to Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy” for minors, the legal questions at stake, and why this case matters for free speech, parental rights, religious liberty, and ethical clinical practice.
 
“For Such a Time as This: An Interview With Kaley Chiles” – a candid conversation with the Colorado counselor whose refusal to violate her conscience brought this case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Readers hear directly from Chiles about her call as a Christian therapist, her clients who freely seek help to align their sexual or gender feelings with their faith, and what it has cost her to stand firm as the law seeks to silence her speech in ordinary talk-therapy.
 
The full amicus brief of the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity (ATCSI), explaining how an ideological monoculture inside professional guilds distorts research, marginalizes religious clients, and misrepresents ethical, talk-based therapy that is open to the possibility of change in feelings or identity.
 
The brief of the International Foundation for Therapeutic and Counseling Choice (IFTCC), documenting the prejudicial nature of Colorado’s ban, the legitimacy of addressing gender distress through counseling, and the lack of solid evidence that such counseling is harmful—especially when compared to invasive medical interventions pushed on vulnerable youth.
 
The amicus brief of sexuality researcher Amy E. Hamilton, demonstrating that “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” are neither uniformly defined nor fixed categories, and that the Colorado law ignores real fluidity—particularly among adolescents—while stripping clients of the right to individualized care consistent with their own values and beliefs.
 
D. Paul Sullins’ clarification article, correcting how his empirical work on suicidality and change-oriented therapy was misrepresented in briefs supporting Colorado, and showing how data are being selectively framed to justify speech bans rather than to protect clients.
 
Together, these pieces give readers a front-row seat to a Supreme Court case that will shape whether change-exploring, values-congruent counseling may continue to exist at all in the United States.
 
Beyond the special section, Volume 16 continues the Journal’s global and interdisciplinary focus:
 
“A Snapshot of Therapy Experiences Among Muslims with Same-Sex Attraction” (Ali Jaffery & Christopher H. Rosik) offers a rare window into the lives of Muslims who quietly seek professional help for unwanted same-sex attraction. The article explores cultural stigma, fear of exposure, and what has helped—and harmed—these clients in therapy, broadening the conversation beyond Western, secular narratives.
 
“Philosophical and Psychiatric Reflections on Unconventional Sexualities, Change, and the State of the Mental Health Field: An Interview With Avak Howsepian” presents a rich dialogue with a psychiatrist–philosopher who has taught on paraphilias, sexual ethics, religion, and psychiatric practice. The interview probes how the discipline has shifted under ideological pressure, what it means to treat persons (not labels), and whether genuine change in sexual patterns is compatible with contemporary science and sound ethics.
 
In the book review of Judith Butler’s Who’s Afraid of Gender?, Catholic scholar Gintautas Vaitoska offers a thoughtful critique of one of the most influential voices in gender theory, helping readers discern where Butler’s arguments conflict with biological reality, natural law, and a robust view of the human person.
 
As the official peer-reviewed publication of the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity, the Journal of Human Sexuality exists to promote human flourishing by advancing a fuller truth about sexual orientation and biological sex—truth informed by Judeo-Christian moral vision and natural law, and tested against serious empirical research. Volume 16 exemplifies that mission: it refuses the false choice between compassion and conviction, pairing rigorous scholarship with deep respect for clients who want their care to honor their faith, their bodies, and their conscience.
 
Ideal for:
Mental health professionals and pastoral counselors
Clergy, church leaders, and Christian educators
Policy makers, attorneys, and advocates engaged in religious-liberty and parental-rights work
Parents, students, and laypeople who sense that today’s cultural scripts about sexuality and gender are incomplete—and want to see the evidence for themselves

Volume 16 invites you to step outside the echo chamber, listen to silenced voices, and grapple with the real data, real stories, and real stakes at the intersection of therapy, law, and truth.