A group of Christian counselors is suing a city ordinance in Lincoln, Nebraska, accusing the ordinance of violating their rights. Catholic Thomas Dierks, a licensed counselor for more than 27 years, and a second counselor named as “John Doe” claim and ordinance in the town prevents them from talking openly with young clients who come to them struggling with their sexual or gender identity. The ordinance, entitled “Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity Change Efforts” permits counselors like Dierks and John Doe to assist clients in gender transition, but prohibits them from “any counseling, practice, or treatment that seek to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity.” According to Dierks and John Doe, this limited their ability to assist clients who are uncomfortable with their feelings of same-sex attraction or who wish to identify with their God-given gender identity. Counselors who violate the ordinance could face up to six months in jail, fines, and loss of license.

The counselors sought help from the Thomas Moore Society, which sent a demand letter to the city in April 2026. “Lincoln has made it illegal for a licensed counselor to offer anything other than one government-approved answer to a struggling child. That is not protection. It is a gag order. And it clearly is not in the best interest of such a vulnerable child,” said Senior Counsel, Matt Heffron. The demand letter pointed to the Supreme Court ruling in Chiles v. Salazar, where the Supreme Court held that laws regulating speech based on subject matter are presumptively unconstitutional and that counseling such as Dierks’s and Doe’s talk therapy should be considered speech and not conduct. The demand letter said Lincoln’s ordinance was so similar to the ones struck down by the Supreme Court “they presumably used the exact same template.”

When the city did not respond to the demand letter and repeated attempts to have the ordinance overturned, the Thomas Moore Society moved forward with its lawsuit. “The stakes of this case, as far as minors are concerned, is that there are minors out there, and a fair number of them is what I hear, who are, perhaps faith-based or for other reasons, they are unhappy with same-sex attraction that they may be experiencing, or they’re unhappy with what used to be called gender dysphoria,” Heffron told Fox News Digital. He called the ordinance “viewpoint discrimination” and said Lincoln is policing speech. The city has refused to comment on the pending litigation.