Traitors contestant who rejected conversion therapy attempt backs Government ban
A Traitors star has welcomed the Government’s proposal to ban conversion practices, saying it sends a “clear signal” to LGBT+ people that “they’re not broken, you don’t need to heal”.
Matthew Hyndman, who once faced such so-called therapy, said that in his 20s he was asked to “publicly repent” or leave the evangelical Christian community behind for being gay.
Hyndman, also known as Matty in the January game show series, has now backed banning such apps; This can lead to people being fined or imprisoned for carrying them out.
The draft Transformation Practices Bill covering England and Wales was being published on Thursday, following Labor’s commitment from 2024.
The government said the “landmark” ban would protect LGBT+ people from “physical and psychological abuse aimed at changing who they are”, while a charity helping affected people welcomed it as “a vital first step towards addressing conversion practices as a distinct form of harm”.
The bill defines proselytizing practices as behavior intended to change someone’s sexual orientation or transgender identity through abusive acts that seriously harm the victim.
Speaking at an event in London as the draft Conversion Practices Bill was published on Thursday, he said he was an evangelical Christian missionary on a ship sailing around the world while grappling with his sexuality.
He said: “I was so ashamed of being gay. I was so ashamed and ashamed and I didn’t tell anyone. It wasn’t something I was even prepared to voice, because to me it was the ultimate sin.”
He said he had long “completely denied my sexuality” but was faced with the possibility of conversion practices when it was discovered he was gay.
“I was basically given the choice to publicly repent in front of the entire shipboard community and accept counseling or leave.”
He said he considers himself “one of the lucky ones” because he was able to walk away, but it wasn’t without challenges.
“There was too much risk for me to walk away, to say no,” he said. “I was at risk of losing everyone I knew and loved. My profession, my community, everything was so intertwined, especially if you have a faith.”
“So for me, saying no meant rejecting the faith of my entire community and walking away. And thank God, I did. I consider myself one of the lucky ones because I did that, I walked away and said, ‘no, I actually know who I am’.”
He spoke of his belief in the importance of banning such practices, which aim to change someone’s sexual orientation or transgender identity and can include anything from exorcisms to prayers.
Hyndman added: “I think it (the ban) also sends a very clear signal.
“Everyone who’s going through this right now, everyone who’s going through this, is hearing from the top that this is wrong and this shouldn’t happen to you. You’re not broken, you don’t need to heal.”
Hyndman, originally from Northern Ireland, attended the Alliance Party conference in March to support the party’s bid to ban religious conversion practices.
