We Believe?
Early Experiences
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Some expressed in their oral histories that they did not see a conflict in their religious upbringing and their sexual orientation. For instance, Steven Leshner said he “never really found a conflict” between being gay and being Jewish. Steve Glassman attributed his parents’ progressive thinking to being Jewish, saying it gave them “a sense of empathy for other marginalized and discriminated against groups and also a sense of commitment to social responsibility.”
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"I had very, very progressive, liberal thinking parents, who were always on the left side of the issues. I think it came from being Jewish, frankly.” - Steve Glassman, 2018 |
Praying the Gay Away
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Many others who grew up in Christian churches encountered a “pray the gay away” ideology, struggling for years to change their sexual orientation, praying to God to “solve this problem,” as Sam Deetz explained. Brent Weaver joined ex-gay ministries, until realizing that “not one of [the people in them] ever went from being gay to straight.” Others simply encountered anti-gay information in their churches, such as Joy Verner, who found a book in her church’s library stating that LGBTQ+ individuals burn in hell, teaching her that homosexuality was “definitely bad and definitely not an option.”
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"I started praying silently and screaming in my own mind, "God help me. God somehow solve this problem. Take this away.“ – Sam Deetz, 2013 |
July 24, 1998 Patriot News article advocating gay conversion through Jesus Christ
