Tipsheet

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers Shows How He Really Feels About Conservatives

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  May 07, 2026 3:45 PM

At the end of March, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that Colorado's ban on talk-based conversion therapy was likely unconstitutional. While the Supreme Court didn't overturn the ban outright, it did say that the lower courts  applied the wrong standard in reviewing it, and remanded the lower courts to apply strict scrutiny to the issue.

But it was an opportunity for therapists and others to push back against the Democrats' bans on talk-based conversion therapy. Such an issue has long been a thorn in the side of Democrats, who equate it to the erasure of gay and lesbian youth. Of course, they then turn around and push "gender-affirming care" which often targets gender non-conforming ... gay and lesbian youth.

The irony is not lost on us.

One such proponent of the latter and not the former is Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. He, in no uncertain terms, has said he will defy the Supreme Court on the issue while accusing conservative groups of "bullying LGBTQ kids."

Here's more:

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has declined a formal request to halt enforcement of a state regulation that critics argue unconstitutionally limits licensed counselors from discussing certain perspectives on sexual orientation and gender identity with minor clients, despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s March 31, 8-1 decision in Chiles v. Salazar.

In a letter sent this week to Daniel Degner, President of Wisconsin Family Council, and referencing the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, Evers defended Wis. Admin. Code § MPSW 20.02(25). The regulation defines as “unprofessional conduct” any counseling practice that seeks to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including talk-only therapy requested by the client or family.

The letter is Evers’ response to a demand from WILL, Wisconsin Family Action, and their client, Joy Buchman, a Christian counselor in La Crosse. The demand cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in Chiles v. Salazar and requested that the Evers administration immediately stop enforcing the rule and initiate repeal proceedings.

Dan Lennington of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) called the letter "shocking."

Here's some of what the letter says:

It is disappointing your right-wing advocacy organization wasted no time enthusiastically taking up the mantle to restore a long-disavowed and outdated practice that decades of scientific and medical research has demonstrated is, at best, ineffective and, at worst, dangerous because it substantially increases the risks for depression, suicidality, substance use, post-traumatic stress, and anxiety, among a variety of other harmful impacts. Surely, the harmful effects of conversion therapy should have compelled the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty and Wisconsin Family Action not to pursue this effort

On the other hand, this should come as no surprise. After all, bullying LGBTQ kids and Wisconsinites seems to be an important goal for Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty and Wisconsin Family Action.

In any case, your demand for Wisconsin to stop enforcing its conversion therapy ban relies on a significant misreading of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Chiles. Your letter, for example, erroneously suggests that "the Supreme Court held that Colorado's substantively identical statute is unconstitutional." There are major problems with that claim.

What a peach.

No, it's not.

Remember, Democrats will say abortion and "gender-affirming care" is a decision for a woman or child and their doctor. That same standard, oddly enough, doesn't apply to a gay person who wishes to try talk conversion therapy. 

But then again, Evers isn't running for reelection, so he doesn't have to be consistent and can let his true feelings about Wisconsin conservatives show.