THIS FORMER Baptist pastor spent decades hating himself for being gay and hid his sexuality from his family and congregation in the hope that he could ‘pray the gay away’ and underwent conversion therapy in a last-ditch attempt to be ‘godly’ before accepting himself for who he is and marrying his husband.



LGBTQ writer, speaker and gatherer, Joel Barrett (52) who lives in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, grew up in a very religious Baptist home where his religion was based on strict lists of what he could and couldn’t do and being gay was strictly prohibited. Drinking, dancing, rock music, cinema trips, watching TV and swimming were all banned and as he went into his late teens, Joel wasn’t allowed to date girls, wear shorts and was home-schooled, meaning he was increasingly isolated from wider society.

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