I went to conversion therapy for 9 years. I had a very hard time for so long. I was told by evangelical antigay groups that I had to change and it was possible. Im very happy I accepted myself and I live now a very fulfilling life.

About being gay... “that wasn’t an option.” So sad that so many people feel that way still. Thanks for your story.

I was sent to conversion therapy. It was “hell” on earth. I’m 46 years old and I don’t think I’ll ever get over the emotional, physical and spiritual trauma. My dad never forgave himself. It tormented him until the day he died. Broke my parents marriage. The one good thing to come out of it is that we all became atheists.

This "therapy" backfired with me too. I learned that "God" has much bigger interests in the universe beyond my sexual orientation. It's not that important.

“People saw me... and I was safe.” The power of being out.

Thank you Matt for putting yourself out there for this interview and telling your story.

I understand this man so much. I went through a VERY similar situation and it’s not easy, I’ve only heard the beginning but it brings up many emotions and feelings that I still carry to this day. Leaving your family behind is hard but when you find your new family it’s a relief. The saddest thing in this world is to feel alone, but if you’re going through a similar situation and you’re reading this, YOURE NOT ALONE. There are good people in the world that love you for you ❤️.

I relate to Matt ... I am in Texas and from a very religious family and I am still not fully out at 57. I got married at 30 years old and had a daughter who is now 21. I got divorced at 42 after 12 years. being married. I experimented after my divorce and realized ...YES you are gay. I came out to my sister after I fell in love with a man that I thought I would be with forever.. after that ended I started dating more and after many short relationships...I have given up because of the huge disappointment of gay men who only want sex.I am now single 57 and alone and okay with it. But I still want to find that true real love even late in this game of life. Young guys ...dont waste your life ...come out asap.

What a beautiful interview. I had a very strict Roman Catholic upbringing. After many futile days, months and years of praying at church, I realized that rather than being an abomination (and offing myself as a consequence), ‘god’ must have created me as exactly as I was and proceeded from there. I came out fully when I was 19, so was lucky enough to bypass the whole ‘urge to convert’ phase. Thank you for sharing your story, Matt Hancock. It was touching, moving and really brought home to me that rather than have scorn for those who took the ‘self denial’ conversion therapy route, to have rather, an abundance of empathy and compassion. (and I hope you know that you’re a lot further on your journey than you realize, Matt) 🤗👍

Love that Matt was able to share his story and I hope he knows that there are so many of us who have had similar experiences. (It’s almost scary seeing myself in his descriptions) Thank you for your vulnerability and for giving hope to those who are going through now what you went through. I know your story will save lives ❤️

he's so handsome!

He is so Damn handsome. I’d give him the love he deserves

I've learned to love myself and embrace the fact that I am gay. I've stopped caring about the hateful things other people think. All in all life is what you make it but when you're depressed sometimes you do need other ppl to reach down and pull you out of the depths. Thank you for sharing your story. I hope you continue to grow in loving yourself so you can love others and they can live you too.

I can’t believe any parents would want to put their child through something this awful. I just turned 50 years old & I came out at age 16 Yrs old & this was in 1988 which was definitely NOT a common thing in 1988 especially being in high school. But I am so lucky and so blessed because my mom, dad, sister, brother, grandmother, all my aunts, all my uncles, all my cousins said to me how proud they were of me coming out at such a young age, and I have a family that does not judge anyone no matter if you’re tall, short, fat, thin, gay, straight, black, white purple with green spots, etc.

Matt, I am a little late finding you: like nearly two years. Thank you so much for your insight, courage, and clear articulation of the challenge of finding one's true self. I am now twice your age but had the same experience as you at that age. Now, I have counseled over 8,000 young people and AGREE with every word, emotion, and insight you have expressed here. Thank you, Matt, for helping and saving lives which are fantastic and awesome.......love you, man........Ray

Why is the audio playing so weirdly . It’s playing in one ear of my headphones , and then switches to both and vice versa🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️

It's so very sad that organised religion, not God, has caused so much pain and evil in the world. I can relate to Matt. I didn't go through conversion therapy, but I grew up in a very homophobic family/environment. My own mother told me when I was 11 that she'd rather be dead than to know one of her children was gay. I couldn't understand why God wouldn't make me straight when I begged Him so much to do so. Now, if someone cannot accept me how I am, I really don't give a shit. Blessings to you always Matt.

This is such a good story but I wish the audio was better. If it could be re-edited, I would delete all audio of the interviewer and just leave Matt (and maybe add the questions as text in between the answers).

Hi Matt. Thanks for sharing your story. I had a somewhat similar experience and also came out on the other side surrounded by lots of love and acceptance of myself. Wishing you the best!

Makes me sick that conversion "therapy" stills exists. It's unbelievable that there are people dealing with this now. I am so lucky my parents are supportive people.

Wow, one of the strongest interviews I've seen! Thank you for sharing so much from your heart and your personal journey. I also was in a religious group where I'd say I'd been brain washed but the struggle is much bigger just being kinda in a 'war' with yourself and who you are. I wish you all the best, Matt!!!

I was raised pentecostal and my dad was the pastor. It was a humiliating nightmare. Its amazing what we do for our parents after years of compounded shame they've put us through. The stigma and pain never goes away for some.

A very masculine man, effeminate not really, but nothing wrong if you were. You appear as a loving and kind man to me. Much success to you and may you increase your self-confidence ten-fold.

Wonderful story! Thank you for sharing this with us. We need to hear this stories.

I can so relate to your story Matt. This is very encouraging. ❤❤❤

Great interview. Happy you found your way out, Matt.

Thank you for sharing!

​ @Matthew Hancock Just watched this well-done piece (interviewer and interviewee). So important to have these kind of thoughtful and real dialogues, thanks to both of you guys. My mom, w/ good intentions, attempted to get me to an Exodus conference in the 90's. As with many families, good intentions, yes, but potentially damaging. I'm glad that laws (now 20 states + DC) are continuing to protect youth from conversion therapy. I see my kids and this whole generation being generally so much more enlightened and aware of LGBTQ+ issues. Kindness and support of one another across all lines is key for a better world and kudos to you, Matt, for sharing your story.

Thank you for this Matt. I prayed and tried to change for 12 years. I went to counseling, deliverance, everything. Nothing changed. I really regret it because it was from age 28 to 40 which are the best years for finding a happy relationship. I feel like I wasted 12 valuable years of my life. I have come to full acceptance and am finally happy.

Thanks for sharing. "We weren't raised to love ourselves." So painfully sad and true. I've had a different experience but similar in so many ways. I just see and feel so much of the pain and loss in your story.

I found this very powerful. As an older gay man I had similar issues with self-acceptance even without the religious upbringing and the conversion therapy. So many of us did back then. But Matt, you are clearly a very smart, compassionate guy and you are on the right track now. I wish you every success and much happiness. Good luck and thanks for sharing your story.

When will people just stop hating & accept people for who they are ugh. What a disgrace :o(

I grew up in Mobile, AL 40 years before this young man in a southern Baptist family. I have been a long time psychotherapist and am gratified that for some reason I never shared the biases he experienced. Wish I had a chance to talk to him: it wasn't easy to grow up in Mobile

Matt, thank you for your willingness to share your life experience. Your story IS mine so I won't say much - except I will tell you my turning point in accepting myself. I went to a retreat one weekend and as we walked in the door my eyes fell on a poster. GOD DON'T MAKE JUNK!! I realized God made me as I was and regardless of what others thought, HE accepted me as his creation. And HE DON'T MAKE JUNK! God loves me, I love God and I'm gay and I respect me!

That's the key, be around others that love you. Matt, thank you for sharing your story. You are a stronger person because of what you went through, some ppl at that age don't get to tell their story.

Matt YOU are An AWESOME Guy. So brave to tell your Story. You of all people are the BRAVEST....I hope you are able to leave all that hell and garbage behind....All reason to love yourself who you are. NEVER let yourself down again..Hugzz from Hans

Love and admiration to Matt. You deserve all the best.

IT must felt like You fighting the rest of the outside world....Now nobody can Harm you anymore. Cause you learned to be strong Matt and protect, and defend your PRECIOUS SOUL and spirit, no matter what others say, do or think.

Thank you Matt for sharing your story. I think you are amazing and so glad you moved to Colorado. I hope you still love it here. btw - I follow and support on Pateron "Steps Of 2 Foreigners" Adam & Bernardo who are on UKposts where they share their stories. Adam experienced very negative conversion therapy growing up and today working on recovering from that experience. I wish you nothing but the very best. Sincerely,Tanya

Thank you Matt!

I have many so much respect for this man and his personal journey and for his vulnerability. I have had my own struggles with acceptance and wanting purity and it was the most difficult time of my life not understanding why things wouldn’t change. It’s dangerous to promote to young or earnest people that something that cannot be controlled can in fact change if you want it badly enough.

Hang in there Matt - everything coming from you is clearly coming for a good, kind heart - it will come back to you. Be good to yourself. And OK - I've got to say what no one else seems shallow enough to say - Damn, Matt! You're a stud! :-)

Being "filled with the Spirit" is evidence of buying into a lie as an initiation into an abusive cult.

Matt, well done. I came out 20 years earlier [the 1980s] but 10 years older than you [I was in my 20s]. Your story is important. Thank you for sharing it. I just wish I could hug you so you know you are as God created you.

Thank you so much for sharing your story Matt! I wonder if how it would have been for me if I would have come out earlier than the age of 24 especially since one of my parents told me that my gayness needs to be “fixed.” Appreciate your bravery!

The interviewer's mic was... Less than stellar, possibly not on at all. I'm just really glad the man being interviewed had a working microphone. 🤘🤘

Hearing interviews and stories like this I am so glad, as a 16-year-old gay guy, that I took the initiative as a 14/15 year old to look for other voices other than the Christian-Conservative voices that I was surrounded by. I was raised to condemn the LGBTQ+ community and was coerced into a Christian/Conservative echo chamber. But I managed to escape that and find voices that contrasted the beliefs I was raised with and realised how gross they were. But at the same time, I was experiencing a cognitive dissonance in regards to my sexuality. I came to terms with my sexuality October 2021 and also recently deconstructed my faith. I am so much happier now, and I have so much respect and admiration for people who didn't have the escape that I had and whose journey was longer and more difficult.

I know that you might not read this, because it’s been a year since you did this video. I sincerely hope that you are finding you way. It breaks my heart to see the suffering that these religious beliefs/people have caused so many individuals. I was raised in the Assembly of God and nondenominational churches. They’re convictions never made sense to me either. Going to college in my 40’s made a world of difference for me, as I began to understand that one’s sexual identity is encoded in ones DNA. I’m 70 years old and I have been able to support some nieces, nephews, children, and grandchildren in knowing that God has created them while, and loves them just as they are period! Love and prayers coming your way🙏❣️

Thanks for sharing. we don't have conversion centres here (Ireland) that i know of but i relate a lot to what you say. When you are young you believe in God's love and miracles so you really place your belief that God can change you. once this wasn't working i found a book in sale about changing your orientation. i felt the hope you described but after reading it , it was half of speaking about training your brain not to think about men the bang in the second part they started introducing Jesus and how faith can save you. this book did immeasurable damage to my younger mind and i found it again not long after and ripped it up so noone else could be harmed by it. Parents of Gay people need help to raise gay children. I'm so much happier that here at least, society is much more open and parents usually know and accept gay people.

My heart is so drawn with Matt, i found quite a few ppl have the same experience like him, but found no breaktrough. Matt could help so many more people relate to his long strugle. I wish i could get Matt's detail contact such email address?

Matt, you have figured it out on your own. You are now a wholly functional human being with normal emotional thought processes. Congratulations, and continued good luck. Much love

I'm glad that he mentioned that they don't use crazy things like shocking therapy, like some media outlets use to say as a scare/sensation tactics. That does not make it less pseudo scientific though. That makes me to see at the YMCA song in a different light.

very similar story to what this man experienced. religious environment, self hatred, crushing isolation, Exodus as the answer, feeling for the first time of connecting with another human being late in life, and then later disillusionment and ultimately leaving. the thing about religion is that it gets you to hate yourself because you can never measure up, especially when wrapped up in the extreme viciousness from the church towards gay people during that time (70's-early 00's). I remember just being in a tight ball on the floor (my early twenties), completely distraught, crying why god would create me in such a way to just torture me and probably ultimately kill me and cast me into hell. so of course conversion therapy sounds like a good idea, for the reasons this beautiful man speaks about. I don't hate my Exodus experience, because it was The. First. Time. Ever. that I had connected with anyone and felt love and acceptance, and told me I was a good person and that god loved me, but just broken. Contrast that to the rabid hatred from the church and media in general, it's a pretty compelling reason to start on that conversion therapy path. It was the only option for those who were religious and wanted to live a godly life, at least initially. When reminded of all this, as I was when watching this man speak, it just seems a miracle that we made it through...of course some didn't...a tragedy of unspeakable proportions. wow...

I know this was put on UKposts 2 years ago and not sure when it was made . The poor man when he said "the shame that we all feel" really upset me. I'm from England and I'm not religious. There is No shame in being gay or being yourself. The torment people go through is heartbreaking 💔

Very powerful, thank you for sharing, I have shared this with my friend who is a pastor, he is open but his congregation may not be

i had no idea there were actually chirstians who live like that !!! holy toledo. i'm very sad to realize how hard it was for him to accept who he was. i'm so glad things are changing. Matt is a very brave young man :)

You certainly do not seem effeminate at all. Good luck to you, you're a brave man. Conversation therapy is a cruel way from stupid people. Being straight, I could no more convert to becoming gay as gays can also not convert to straight. I watched my brother struggle with his sexuality and it broke my heart to see the torture he went through.

I’m 66 and couldn’t even begin to tell you my life experiences. I knew I was attracted to men since I was 6. It’s been a long difficult path. I don’t know hat the answer is but I’ve dealt with this issue for decades. I commend this man for the courage to put himself out there. There’s so much more to say but I’m tap tap taping on my phone and it’s tedious. I’m very masculine and willing to talk to anyone. Socceron@yahoo.com

Your Mom Knew when you were gay much younger than when your uncle caught you! I am a parent and Knew my son was gay when he was 2 years old.

How courageous!!!!!!!

I would always have to smile, listening to all the antigay fire and brimstone preaching, then when I look at the choir I'm like 😏

Matt, your strength and transparency is inspiring. As a Christian transman I too have felt the shame that fundamentalist radical Christians have put in my head. It's so important to let especially our LGBTQ+ young people know - Jesus loves you just as you are!! You are loved!! You don't need to change who you are as a person because He created you in His image. God is #1 in inclusion and acceptance. Go seek out your local Disciples of Christ church. Many are open and affirming. Love yourself as He loves you.

I'm sure you are loved. You are very lovable.

the title of this video is wrong. you don't tell what a person must due for conversion therapy. thanks for telling ur story.

What a cute guy.

This is why I'm an atheist.

OMG I have had the same experience growing up , and I wanted to commit suicide cause I felt I was doomed and I still have family and people who think its ok to own a gun and kill a gay guy , but its not ok to be a gay Christian. I always knew If God is love , why is loving a same sex person a sin? so contradictory. I was a mess. OMG I would marry this guy right now. we have so much in common. thank you for putting this out there.

Wow...enlightening but very sad interview. I'm gay and 60 now. I remember the influence culture and religion had on my young brain when at age 14, I stepped in my closet, literally, and begged God to change me, which I thought he would and could, if he so desired. BUT I never changed, so I assumed it was all well and good. At that young age, I thought gay people, including myself, were better than other people....more idealistic, more health conscious, smarter even. When I finally went to college and met other gay people, I realized this wasn't true, but the confidence I had in my own mind allowed me to cast off the cultural condemnation of homosexuals and not take it to heart. Now, at age 60, I 100% believe that all things human, behavior, sexuality, physical traits, etc. are genetic and therefore are 100% natural. Geneticists aren't ready to state this because they are still just scratching the surface of how and what genes/DNA determine zillions of human traits. Environment can play a role, but it all starts with DNA and how it's been programmed from the beginning of each human life.

I went to a strong evangelical church and overall I was shunned and left church for a while. I was hurt by them as I didn't have more of the charasmatic gifts others had plus dealt with mental health issues. People need to know this--right from the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Very powerful and honest story... I commend you Mr. Hancock

As an atheist, I've been asked what I would replace church value teachings with in a god-free world. I answer: teaching logic, critical thinking, basics of law, etc, but I've clearly omitted the demeanment, threats, and punishments meted out to the LGBTetc. segment of society. What if we just leave those out?

What's wrong with sound in this ?

I watched this for more than 20 times. I can relate to everything matt was saying.I really don't know how to put same sex attractions (or gay , I'm 28 now this doesn't make any difference) ,I started going through gay conversion therapy when I was in freshman senior year in highschool (11th grade) and i was utterly depressed about my sexual attractions. I was attracted to boys when all boys were attracted to girls in the school and outside. I always knew something different about me (wrong that time ) ,the way I thought my choices and desires. Whenever I looked at a good looking boy I immediately would become depressed because it was confusing exhausting and self condemnation type of situation for me. I hardly knew anybody gay my town. I was never attracted to any girls in high school and was never attracted to any boy either. Because I would immediately try to suppress those feelings and attractions somehow(at that time in was 15 years old ,I was always 2 years younger to my grade!). I never tried to pray the gay away because I didn't even know what gay was. I used to pray to god like "god make me his friend" "why can't he be my friend?" Stuff like this. But I never felt like this about girls. I was super religious Sunday school GOOD boy. Always trying to impress God and never make him angry and becoming gay wasn't even on the list. I was born again when I was 8-9 years old (I used to get born again again again every year because one time wasn't enough for me - kind of spiritual obsessive compulsive) but I didn't know anything about God's unconditional love. I just heard about it you know. In our church the word 'sex' was never used forget about discussing homosexuality ! The churches in used to attend were extremely modest ,never discussed sex outside the context of sexual immorality (which was so harmful to everyone). Those churches used to preach like "sex is a bad thing ,all we can do is pray we should not fall into temptation" like this. I literally had to watch porn (in was 18 that time ) to understand fully what I was attracted to. Immediately after discovered same sex attractions I promised God that I would change myself no matter what how hard it could be I would do it. That day to 2019 it was non stop struggles self condemnation self hatred confusion ,kind of a constant ordeal for me. Evey day every minute I tortured myself to make myself straight. We can't change our sexual attractions ,whatever they may be. Gay conversion therapy really takes us away from god, at least it did to me. I became frustrated exhausted completely broken than before gay conversion therapy. Now in the year of 2020 I am ,just like him, trying to rebuild my life my career and everything. God loves us unconditionally and his grace is free. The church needs to demonstrate the unconditional love of God instead of heckling people into God's kingdom. Churches are behaving as if they have solved all the problems of the world and homosexuality is the only problem left.

I am eternally grateful that, as a gay man, I wasn't raised by religious parents.

Thanks for posting. I'm going thru this but for being trans.

Btw... tried listening but never heard details!

Listen.... As a lesbian who was also devout Christian I can tell you it doesn't go away. You can choose a partner out of love and agreement of the opposite gender and it could work out. But the feelings don't go away and that's fine by me. From being told I was probably abused .. had a terrible childhood and every other reason that my genuine attraction isn't genuine, I learnt as long as you are genuinely attracted anyone else doesn't know anything about you and it's only upto you to shut the noises and live in love.. Straight people make the majority of the population ...some have had to go through hell but their genuine attraction won't be linked to that now ....would it? If anything they are told to go and deal with the issues then they can be even happier in relationships but for homosexuals it's twisted and turned. I hated it. I hated how guilty they made me feel. How non existent trauma was pushed in my brain to push away the genuine attraction I had. In place if attraction was loathing , hate and guilt for myself. I realised I was listening too much outside that I wasn't listening to my own conscious which was so clear and peaceful about my feelings. Iam thankful things are getting better on a societal level gradually . On a personal level it's you to deal with the trash thrown at you, don't throw it back just mark your boundaries. Personally Iam happy where Iam right now and I have learnt to quiet the noise around me and listen to my own self. And it's worked tremendously. Being homosexual doesn't exempt you from anything, any true life experience. I learnt that. Plus being homosexual isn't shameful or something to regret, it just is and that's it. It's my compass for a partner but I always remind myself to always remember fluidity in sexuality and there's always that one guy. I don't think I will since I never have lol. But I am just happy and it makes me happy to know we share this experience.

I truly feel your pain and what you went through . but I wishI had lived what you lived. my story is full of pain and suffering since I was 4 years old. being raped and sexually abused by family members and strangers. until I was 13 or 14 . and your good looks MAN!!! I AM SHAKING MY HEAD .your story pales in comparison. .... I am 58 Years old now and i do have a peace of mind. but my childhood was taken from me. it took so many years to get some kind of normalcy.....

Handsome man.

Thank you Matt for sharing your painful journey with all of us and that if you have a mind to, you really can make it through this and come out on the bright side of life. I have contended for many years that when people speak of the King James Version of the Bible and being the true word of God, as if it were spoken in English and someone took it down from God's mouth to page. I tell them that the KJV is a translation from the original Bible and I am sure that they did their best to get it correct. But as we all know, there are just some words the do NOT translate into another language. Somehow I don't think Jesus spoke in the "thee's" and "thou's" as it is written in the KJV. That in and of itself makes it not a direct translation. In King James's time, they were extremely homophobic, and I think that got translated into the Bible when fitting the situation. I had one minister tell me it was not a sin to be homosexual, that it was the act of Sodomy/Anal lovemaking that was the sin, based on the "a man shall not lay with another man as he would with a woman for it is unnatural. From the reading I have done, the word that everybody tosses around is the work abomination should have more correctly been taboo, which just means it is not what is usually seen. In Biblical times, men had Eunuchs. Eunuchs were used for one of two purposes, and a guard over a harem or a chamberlain, which is an attendant to a Lord or Sovereign in the bedchambers (I will let that speak for itself). I knew I had feelings for men as early as kindergarten if not earlier. I do NOT believe that God would create me this way, only to condemn me to hells fires. There are many more things I could expound upon, but you get the general idea of what I am talking about. You don't need to be ashamed of your sexuality!

He’s effeminate? Am I missing something?

Why do people want to fit in with a group of people who rejects them. Why fit in when you’re born to stand out.

Exactly how does an individual whom has gone through a conversion therapy ministry years ago, repair, or, rebuild their lives afterwards? Am having so much difficulty of finding lifelong friends, a true solid friend support group, find my future, no who I am, to find out how to love myself, find aid, find belonging, and more. My siblings and relatives have all left me. Two out of my 3 siblings, even believes I ought to go back into another conversion therapy program as they say it didn't work, my gayness is getting to me, that I am not at all happy being gay, that I am going to Hell. I have reaccepted myself in 2014 that I am gay. I am happy and I know Conversion Therapy absolutely does not work whatsoever. It damaged me like it did many others scattered here and there. I am very overwhelmed, baffled, an lost, I even feel alone. I've been trying to get help as I am at my wit's end. Any amount of help would be greatly and deeply appreciated. Am very exhausted in this state of suspension and this odd like state. I need even an extended family.

Matt thank you for sharing your story. Im sorry that you went through that but like most gay people we all have similar stories and know that nothing is wrong with you, only them. Im a 45yr old gay man. Growing up my parents were extremely religious went to church 3-4 times a week, gave 15% of their income, and held bible studies/prayer meetings at our home. It wasn't easy going to church when they preach to hate yourself and that you have a sickness, or that gay men have a homosexual demon inside of them. This was making me extremely depressed, confused, and having suicidal thoughts. I called out to God and he told me he loves me unconditionally when I was 10-14yrs of age. When I prayed I felt his divine presence and know that he is powerful , good , and loves me as I am. If God is in nature, and if nature creates animals, and animals have have been witnessed as having same-sex relationships then why not humans. I believe you can be born gay, nurtured that way, or both. Speaking about me only I feel that I was natured gay. I had an absent father in my formative years growing up and just wanted a man's fatherly love and this grew into me wanting that longing affection of a man. This formed into an attraction for the same-sex in my experience. When I was young I was also role modeling all my mothers feminine attributes like her posture, mannerisms, speech patterns and interests because I had no man around to mimic I then unknownly carried myself with effeminate traits. My father came back into my life when I was 9yrs but by then I knew I was different then him. My family new I was feminine and perhaps gay before I knew it but lived in denial about it for years. I believe in a God but not the Bible in its entirety. The Bible seems to contradict itself throughout out. The Bible states that man should not lie down with man but then again the Bible states not to Judge. You can find it in Matthew 7:1 that says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged." More contradiction examples like Selling your daughter into slavery, sabbath day,, and seeing God. The bible was written by man and say it was inspired by God but again man indeed wrote it and we all know what man is capable of. Through out the centuries the Bible has been edited, altered, interpret, rewritten, and translated into numerous languages. Not to mention that most people could not read back then, the Bible was told to the non-readers. So, bible stories and verses could have gotten lost in the storytelling and preaching. I can write , text, and speak something and it can get, changed, enhanced, or interpreted wrong in no time at all, imagine thousand of years.

Fergus Dublin Ireland European Union E.U What a lovely, gentle, warm, I sensitive man! Religion plays "too" important a role and false necessity in life!

Have heard a lot of stories where people said they "hated" themselves or were "ashamed" because they were gay. I was raised in the USA, same culture, and I've talked to my best friend, who was raised Catholic. We never hated ourselves or were ashamed to be gay, despite not flaunting it. My question is this....is hating oneself a sign of some underlying "mental" health issue.....perhaps even partly genetic? It just doesn't seem normal to me for some to feel these emotion while others never do, despite coming from similar cultures and religious backgrounds.

Someone did talk about it! Your uncle and grandmom!

We know that the truth endures forever. A feeling brings on storms, but the way of the Lord endures forever.

💗

Matt... you are so not effeminate

His mom sounds pretty supportive and cool. I'm glad she was there for him. "What you're born into isn't enough." Gods do I relate to that. I never went through conversion therapy but my family tried so hard to pretend that everything uncomfortable just didn't exist. I have the distance I need because they just don't have what I need.

I have to wonder, if evangelical Christianity is so destructive to people who are gay, is it really all that good for straight people? The distortions that tortured this guy wouldn't be the same torments for straights, but the position is no less distorted and convoluted.

the camera swinging back and forth intermittently ........hmmm

I believe God is much greater than we can ever amagin. His grace is more than enough for us.!!

God loves all people God made you the way you are if your gay if your straight God made you that way and he loves you that way no were in the Bible does it say being gay is bad I am a gay Roman catholic and know many other gay catholics GOD LOVES ALL

This hurts my heart and makes me so fricking angry. The world is hard enough without steeping unnecessary and magical judgment on top of the normal trials of life. This beautiful young man has lived a life of fear and sorrow and shame, and for no other reason than...why? Regardless, I do want to take a moment to acknowledge the love from his family. It sounds like they were as misguided as he was, but also, were nothing but loving toward a son grappling with a culture of lies that to this day still tries to create artificial mechanisms of control through shame and repression.

The only issue is that the majority of those kids ARE sex abuse and early influence situations as confirmed by the LGBTQ community. So for the genuine situations you have a need for love and support and acceptance in society, but for ALL children you need deep concern for early abuse and influence. Since the community, itself, says “abuse” is the majority instance it would make sense to make a major bill about counseling for said subject of child abuse because that usually precedes the ages that conversion therapy or “coming out” behavior begins. The world must accept that there is natural homosexual orientation AND as made clear from the LGBTQ community, a majority of abused and influenced kids who should have never been exposed, who need protection and therapy and dealing with THAT, as reality, while getting loving support and acceptance in society.

I went through the same thing as a boy but i didn't know what it meant until I became a teenager when learned about homosexuality at 1st I hated myself but graudley I came to accept myself that that was the I was

The sound quality of this video is horrendous!

You are so great! Jesus and GOD loves everyone!