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SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah therapist has apologized for his work with conversion therapy among the LGBTQ community after coming out as a gay man.
In his work as a therapist, David Matheson worked for years to convert gay men into becoming heterosexual. But recently, Matheson said three words — "I am gay" — that some never expected to hear from him.
He spoke with KSL soon after garnering worldwide attention from several news outlets.
“I’ve always been bisexual, meaning that I had attractions to girls and also to guys,” the Salt Lake City resident said.
He was once a prominent “conversion therapist,” touting a practice that tries to change a person’s sexual orientation. He was married to a woman for 34 years and has three grown children.
Matheson, though, said he is now looking for a gay partner. The news caused outcry around the world, among critics who are calling him a fraud.
Almost 700,000 LGBTQ adults in the United States have received conversion therapy. It’s a practice some say is cruel, including Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out, a non-profit organization in Philadelphia.
But Matheson's critics have warned against a practice they say doesn’t work.
“David Matheson has ruined a lot of lives in Utah. He has harmed a lot of people. There are people who will want their money back,” Besen said.
One of those people was Chaim Levin, a former orthodox Jew, who in 2007 tried two programs Matheson designed. He said the programs were abusive and traumatic.
“This man made a lot of money off of these programs," said Levin, who lives in New York City. "This was his living, and many people, including people who did not have a lot of money, paid him for his services that were a complete fraud.”
Asked what Matheson would say to people who believe he hurt them.
“I would say, ‘I’m sorry,’” Matheson said. He added that he doesn't know if sorry was enough, particularly for those that paid money and placed trust in him as a therapist
“Again, I’m very sorry,” Matheson said, who is still an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “My core faith is unchanged. The core principals, the core concepts in the church, I believe them. I feel them as strongly as I ever did.”
Despite his faith, Matheson said he now faces an impasse.
“I can no longer live without an intimate partnership with another man,” he said. But for the time being, Matheson said he’s looking for opportunities to make amends with people he may have hurt.
