Ex-Director Of ‘Pray Away The Gay’ Group Weds His Male Partn

[LongDogMom]

The leader of the world’s oldest "ex-gay" Christian ministry has finally accepted himself and found love at last!

(http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/11/24 ... e-partner/)

John Smid was the executive director of Love In Action (LIA), (later they changed their name to Restoration Path), from 1990 to 2008. "When Smid was working for Love In Action, he had referred to homosexuality as a sin and endorsed “conversion therapy†to help repress and correct homosexual preferences and behaviors. At one point, Smid had even said:

“I would rather you commit suicide than have you leave Love In Action wanting to return to the gay lifestyle.â€

When Smid became a Christian in 1982 he found that his religious conviction was incompatible with his homosexual lifestyle and he married a woman. In 1986 he joined the leadership of Love In Action, eventually becoming executive director, leaving in 2008. In 2011, on his website, he stated that homosexuality is an intrinsic part of one's being, and that "change, repentance, reorientation and such" cannot occur, and noted that he had "never met a man who experienced a change from homosexual to heterosexual

Restoration Path (LIA) was founded in 1973 by Frank Worthen, John Evans, and Kent Philpott just north of San Francisco. When a good friend of Evans' committed suicide cited his despair over his inability to change, Evans left the group and denounced it as dangerous. "He was quoted by the Wall Street Journal (April 21, 1993) as saying: "They're destroying people's lives. If you don't do their thing, you're not of God, you'll go to hell. They're living in a fantasy world." (Wikipedia)

[crazyforkate]

Genuinely happy for him and his husband. Sounds like he had a really rough time of things, and is doing his best to try to combat the terrible system he was part of.

[eviek]

That's great. I'm glad he didn't perpetuate the lie any longer.