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‘Mormon Land’: Former practitioner of ‘reparative therapy’ discusses his coming out as a gay man, the pain he felt and contributed to, and his new life within the faith

For years, David Matheson, a Utahn who was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and married to a woman, was a prominent advocate and professional practitioner of so-called “reparative therapy,” an effort that essentially seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Matheson came to renounce that type of treatment and instead focused on therapies intended to reduce, in his words, the “shame, anxiety and effects of trauma” experienced by LGBTQ individuals in society.

Now, Matheson is divorced and making news by coming out as a gay man seeking a male partner.