Kansas AG Kris Kobach orders 3 cities to repeal conversion therapy bans

Kendrick Calfee, The Kansas City Star on Jul 24, 2026

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Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach sent letters to three Kansas City-area cities this week calling for the repeal of their conversion therapy bans, citing a U.S. Supreme Court case to call the local ordinances unconstitutional.

The letters were sent Thursday to the mayors and council members of Prairie Village, Roeland Park and Lawrence, giving each city 60 days to strike down city laws that ban conversion therapy, the discredited practice of trying to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Kobach cited in his letters the Supreme Court’s ruling in Chiles v. Salazar, which declared a similar Colorado law was a violation of First Amendment freedoms.

Targeting cities in the Kansas City metro, Kobach now claims the local ordinances seek to control speech and that they engage in “viewpoint discrimination.”

Conversion therapy is condemned by major medical and mental health organizations, including the American Medical Association and American Psychological Association. The latter concluded the practice is unscientific and ineffective, carrying risks of psychological harm, including suicidal ideation and depression.

Kobach’s letters to Prairie Village and Roeland Park were nearly identical in their descriptions of how the city laws allegedly run counter to the Constitution.

The laws ban conversion therapy, defined in the city codes as “any practice or treatment that seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions.”

The bans on conversion therapy do not, however, restrict counseling for a person undergoing gender transition. Kobach said this constitutes viewpoint discrimination.

Citing the Supreme Court case, Kobach also argued the city laws effectively proscribe what views a therapist may or may not express, restricting speech.

“As Attorney General it is my duty to protect the constitutional rights of all Kansans,” Kobach said in the letters. “Because the City’s ordinance violates the First Amendment rights of Kansans, I request that the City immediately repeal it and thereby bring the City back into compliance with the Constitution.”

In his letter to the City of Lawrence, Kobach said its ordinance is more restrictive by banning outright the use of the words “conversion therapy” and other similar words by “any person or entity.”

The prohibition of using certain words is an obvious First Amendment violation, Kobach said, stating further that the vagueness of the ordinance means it likely also violates the 14th Amendment.

In an email Friday, a spokesperson for the City of Lawrence said, “We are in receipt of the letter from the Attorney General’s office and have noted the 60-day timeline.”

A Prairie Village spokesperson said staff was first informed of Kobach’s letters by reporters who were reaching out with questions.

“We are really not in a position to provide comment until we have had a chance to review the letter and discuss with legal counsel,” said Wes Jordan, a city administrator.

Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson said in an email to The Kansas City Star Friday, “We will review and, if necessary, adjust to ensure that all of our city laws remain in full compliance with state and federal law, including the Constitution.”

Roeland Park Mayor Michael Poppa said in an email to the Star that the city’s legal team is reviewing Kobach’s letter and that he had no additional statement as of Friday afternoon.

Kobach’s calls for the laws to be repealed come on the heels of Kansas City, Missouri, repealing its conversion therapy ban at the end of May.

Kansas City repealed its ban shortly after the ruling in Chiles v. Salazar, saying at the time it believed the ban would no longer be enforceable under state and federal law. The LGBTQ community later spoke out against the repeal.

Since then, a replacement ban has been proposed that city leaders hope will be more enforceable than the previous one under Missouri law.

Council members approved a resolution last month directing the city’s LGBTQ Commission to provide a recommendation on how to draft a new ordinance.