This guy tried to ‘cure’ his homosexuality and it’s seriously heart-wrenching
Humans of New York has profiled a man who was subjected to gay ‘cure’ therapy.
At present, it is legal in nearly all US states to attempt to ‘cure’ homosexuality, even though experts say the practice can be deeply harmful.
The state of New York moved to outlaw gay ‘cure’ practises for minors last year, but adults are still free to seek treatment.
Photojournalist blog Humans of New York, which is run by Brandon Stanton, posts daily pictures of everyday people around New York – and attracts a huge following across the internet.
A picture from the blog went viral this week, featuring a man opening up about his relationship with faith and sexuality.
He says: “I call them clobber verses. There are six of them. They’re the verses that get used to hammer gay people.
“The funny thing is that I never felt pressured by God himself. Only his followers. But I desperately wanted God to change me.
“I didn’t want to be part of a group with so much shame attached to it. So I started praying in my twenties for God to make me straight.
“If I could have taken a pill, I would have. I joined the ministry. I got married. I told my wife that I’d had experiences with men, but I convinced both of us that I could choose to be different.
“I wanted to be normal. I wanted kids. I thought it was just a matter of commitment.
“I even tried to take reparative therapy classes – just to show her I was serious. They tried to teach me that homosexuality wasn’t real. They said that I’d just had an overbearing mother. But
“I couldn’t change. I kept slipping up. I couldn’t give my wife what she needed. My marriage ended.
“I had tried so hard but nothing worked. I got so angry with God for not keeping up his end of the bargain.
“But after some time, I finally realized why he wouldn’t change me. He never felt like he needed to.”
A gay teen who appeared on the blog in 2015 received a surprise message of support from Hillary Clinton.
