Poster Boy for Mormon Gay Conversion Therapy - Appio Hunter | Ep. 2099

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Appio Hunter, whose early life as a Portuguese-speaking Mormon kid, his journey through conversion therapy, and his eventual path to love, self-acceptance, and healing make for one of the most profound LGBTQ+ Mormon Stories ever shared on this channel.

Raised between Southern California and Utah by a Brazilian mother and a father with deep pioneer-era lineage, Appio knew from age four that he was different. By adolescence, he recognized he was gay –just as he was absorbing the harsh anti-gay rhetoric embedded in Mormon culture of the era. What followed was years of masking, spiritual turmoil, self-hatred, and the crushing belief that he needed to be “fixed.”

Appio was eventually ushered into LDS-supported Reparative Therapy, including talk therapy, group sessions, “baseball therapy,” and even a type of 12-step program designed to eliminate same-sex attraction. This path led him all the way to the early 1990s offices of senior LDS General Authorities –including Russell M. Nelson and Henry B. Eyring –where he was held up as a "success story" of conversion therapy.

Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/i-was-t...

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Introduction to Appio’s story
00:03:10 Appio’s Mormon story begins in Southern California
00:07:29 He noticed that he was different around age 4-5
00:10:23 What messages did he absorb about being gay?
00:14:07 When did masking begin for him?
00:16:24 His dad was distant, working a lot
00:19:00 Around age 10, he experienced some childhood abuse
00:22:55 His developing sense of spirituality, prayer, scripture reading, etc.
00:28:22 Growing up and his experiences dating, etc.
00:29:45 When did he come out to himself as gay?
00:31:58 What was his relationship with Heavenly Father?
00:33:22 What were his fears before coming out at age 17?
00:34:37 Was there any experimentation with other men?
00:40:20 Did he attend seminary? College? Mission?
00:42:42 Coming out to his parents
00:46:01 He was introduced to reparative (or conversion) therapy
00:52:19 Making sense of this deep connection and confirmation from God
00:52:59 LDS Family Services/Social Services
01:03:16 He went through “Talk therapy”
01:05:29 His dad was excommunicated for apostasy
01:09:10 Efforts to “fix” him in reparative therapy (including baseball)
01:16:35 He joined a fraternity to help with therapy
01:21:02 What people didn’t see in all of this, what did it cost him?
01:22:34 To what extent had his gayness or behavior change?
01:25:28 The narrative that he had in his mind about suicidal ideation
01:35:46 The church gave two other options for gay individuals
01:38:00 He was invited to meet with three LDS General Authorities (Nelson and Eyring)
01:43:33 What was the purpose of this meeting?
01:46:00 Evergreen Conferences and their association with the Church
01:50:04 What types of speakers and social activities were at these conferences?
01:51:36 Men gathered and they were hooking up on the side
01:56:51 What was his impression of his meeting with the leaders?
02:00:09 How this story often goes in Mormonism
02:04:11 How did this all unravel?
02:13:59 He had male peers die by suicide during conversion therapy
02:16:05 Meeting his husband (they’ve been together for 25 years)
___________________

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