Lohanthony, Soft Conversion Therapy, and Alana Chen’s Suicide
Relabeling a dangerous practice doesn’t change outcomes
Popular YouTuber Anthony Quintal, better known as Lohanthony, recently renounced his gay sexual orientation and endorsed the little-known “Christian Celibacy” movement. While Quintal claims to have never attempted conversion therapy, he is referring to a conservative-Christian movement that has proven just as ineffective and harmful. “Christian Celibacy,” in the context of changing the sexual and romantic behaviors of LGBTQ people, is a rebranding that some experts call soft conversion therapy or conversion therapy lite.
This is what’s going on:
Christian conversion therapy started hardcore
As LGBTQ acceptance became more and more ordinary in the latter part of the twentieth century, conservative Christian institutions responded by offering techniques to help LGBTQ people of faith reconcile spiritual dissonance by turning themselves straight. By the late 1980s and early 90s, Christian “reparative” or conversion therapy had become very popular, with leaders like Alan Chambers claiming a combination of spiritual counseling and psychological techniques had proven highly effective.
