Former Gay Conversion Leader Wants to Make Amends
"I really feel like I snapped out of being in a cult." He was a leader in the world of gay conversion therapy – then he came out as gay. Now, he wants to make it right.
After being fired from the ministry, Game went into an existential crisis
McKrae Game was once a leader in the world of gay conversion therapy. But in 2019, he came out as gay and denounced the ministry he helped build. Growing up in South Carolina, Game knew he was different. But like so many LGBTQ+ youth He didn’t know why. In 1999, Game founded Truth Ministry, a counseling service that attempted to use faith to quell homosexuality. Despite leading the group for 20 years, Game now says he never really believed what he was teaching.
“I'm really sorry for all the years that I played a part in helping people repress who they are, especially in the earlier years of ministry that I was a zealot and was cold and judgmental. And I am going to do my best to meet with people one-on-one that I used to work with and people I didn't work with but they knew who I was and they want to talk, or anybody who wants to talk, you know. It was not okay to be gay 30 years ago. I mean, we didn't have the internet. We didn't have cell phones. Ellen hadn't crossed that counter and come out on TV yet. I mean, there was nothing, especially not in this area. And, you know, my whole life was just “gay” jokes. No one dared to admit they were gay back then. I mean, the fact that I had lived 19 years and had never met a homosexual is pretty amazing. I would say I was a former homosexual with ongoing same-sex attractions. And there's a bunch of religious garbage that held me bondage,” Game tells Brut.
After being fired from the ministry, Game went into an existential crisis. Now, Game wants to make amends and become a positive voice for the LGBTQ community. Gay conversion therapy remains legal in 33 states.
Brut.
