Gay Conversion Therapist in US Reveals He Is in Fact Gay Himself, Divorces His Wife to Live His New-Found Identity
Matheson acknowledged that he is a gay man and that the realisation had struck him in early 2018, the time when he and his now-former wife divorced.
A Utah-based popular ‘conversion therapy’ advocate has spent significant of his life working to ‘cure’ people of their homosexuality. But not anymore! The gay conversion therapist, David Matheson has reportedly ended his 34 years of marriage and he now identifies himself as gay. In a viral Facebook post, Matheson acknowledged that he is a gay man and that the realisation had struck him in early 2018, the time when he and his now-former wife divorced. The revelation came after the LGBTQ charity Truth Wins Out obtained a private post that states that Matheson was no longer part of the movement. #TransLooksLikeThis Goes Viral on Twitter With Transgender People Are Sharing Their Experiences for Not Being ‘Trans Enough’.
Matheson has spent the major part of his life practising ‘ex-gay’ or ‘conversion’ therapy a widely discredited practice. Amidst controversies and criticisms, many places still practice the infamous gay conversion therapy, which promotes the false idea that being gay is something that should and can be “cured.” Matheson has conducted such therapies to allow gay individuals to live “straight” lives. In the recent Facebook revelation of his identity, he explained that growing up in Mormon church meant that he was exposed to homophobia from a young age which inspired him to become a ‘conversion therapist.’ ‘Pumping’ Among Gay Men Is a Dangerous Trend, Doctors Warn LGBTQ Community.
Here's David Matheson's Post
Conversion therapy has been denounced by the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association and a range of other health bodies. It is banned by law in multiple US states including various non-US jurisdictions across the world. Despite such flak, Matheson in his post insisted that his work, “helped many, many people.”
While some lauded his revelation, others have called him out as being hypocritical, given that this comes off after spending years converting the LGBTQ individuals to do the exact opposite. On the other hand, Guardian noted that the Mormon church recently clarified that it does not consider same-sex attraction a sin, but its policy dictates that people cannot participate in homosexual behaviour and the church together.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 28, 2019 04:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).