Former “Ex-Gay” Activist Marries A Man And Finally Finds His Happily Ever After

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Former “Ex-Gay” Activist Marries A Man And Finally Finds His Happily Ever After

Smid and his husband, Larry McQueen, pose with their marriage certificate.

John Smid, who once claimed to have been “cured” of homosexuality and who worked with various “ex-gay” groups, is once again a married man. Only this time, he didn’t marry a woman. He and his partner, Larry McQueen, announced they tied the knot last weekend.

In 1980, Smid left his wife to be with guys, but he had misgivings and tried to go straight again by marrying a second woman and becoming a leading spokesman for conversion therapy. He ran Love In Action, an ex-gay ministry based in Memphis, and sat on the board of Exodus International for 11 years.

In 2011, he went ex-ex-gay, divorcing his second wife and admitting he “never met a man who experienced a change from homosexual to heterosexual.” He apologized for his past actions and launched a new ministry, Grace Rivers, which caters to the gay community.

“I believe that due to my former notoriety, my marriage will definitely have its impact,” he just told Towleroad in an interview.

He says he hopes it will encourage other self-proclaimed “ex-gays” to learn to accept who they are and lead more open and truthful lives.

“I believe it is encouraging for other former ex-gays, and maybe even those who are still trying to hold on to their ex-gay belief system,” he said. “We think our relationship reveals something very normal, not strange or deceptive gay stereotypes. We have come to realize that our marriage is very much the same as your average heterosexual marriage.”

When asked if there have been any people within the LGBT community who have given him grief over marrying a man, Smid replied: “No actually, I think that’s been worked out, but you never know, there may be some.”

Congrats to the happy new couple.

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Graham Gremore is a columnist and contributor for Queerty and Life of the Law. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.