| Occupation | Ex-Minister |
|---|---|
| Spouse | Larry McQueen |
| Known for | Love In Action |
John J. Smid is the former director of the American ex-gay ministry Love in Action, a group that claims to convert lesbians and gay men to heterosexuality.[1]
Career
During his time directing Love in Action, Smid faced controversy over the organization's treatment of gay teens in their youth program "Refuge".[2] Smid subsequently resigned his position in 2008,[3] and in 2010 apologized for any harm he had caused, noting that his teen program "further wounded teens that were already in a very delicate place in life".[4]
In 2011, three years after leaving Love In Action and stepping down from its leadership, Smid announced he was still homosexual and stated he had "never met a man who experienced a change from homosexual to heterosexual."[5]
In 2012, Smid wrote and self-published the memoir Ex'd Out: How I Fired the Shame Committee.[6]
In the 2018 film Boy Erased, based on the book of the same name, the character Victor Sykes, portrayed by Joel Edgerton, is based on Smid.
A November 2018 Radiolab podcast titled UnErased: Smid[7] features Smid's life story.
Personal life
Before claiming he had changed from homosexuality to heterosexuality, Smid lived for years married to a woman and fathering children. It was during this marriage that he said he was gay, divorcing his first wife in 1980. Four years following his divorce, Smid became a Christian and sought conversion from homosexuality to heterosexuality.[2] He married a second time, but by 2011 said, “I would consider myself homosexual and yet in a marriage with a woman.”[8] That year, he and his wife divorced. On November 16, 2014, Smid married a man, Larry McQueen. The couple married in Oklahoma, as same-sex marriage was not yet recognized in Texas, where they lived.[9]
References
- ^ "Ministry seeks to lead away from gay life". Arizona Daily Star. 1997-11-08. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- ^ Borger, Julian (2005-08-26). "Straight and narrow: church's 'gay cure'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- ^ Herrington, Chris (2008-04-10). "Fly on the Wall". Memphis Flyer. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- ^ "Ex-gay leader apologises". Star Observer. 2010-03-30. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- ^ Besen, Wayne (2011-10-12). "Former 'Ex-Gay' Activist Admits Gay People Don't Change". Falls Church News-Press. Archived from the original on 2011-10-15. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- ^ "Ex'd Out". Grace Rivers. Archived from the original on February 18, 2013.
- ^ "UnErased: Smid". WNYC Studios. November 28, 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
- ^ Goldberg, Michelle (2011-10-14). "Ex-Gay Leader John Smid's About-Face". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ Wrigh, John (November 18, 2014). "Former 'Ex-Gay' Leader John Smid Marries His Same-Sex Partner In Oklahoma". Towelroad
External links
- LGBTQ+ Voices: Interview with John Smid, LGBTQ+ Oral History Collection (UNO-0240), Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska at Omaha Libraries.