John Smid: Multiple marriages to women and decades in the "Ex-gay" movement didn't change a thing. He's gay!

Becoming Wilkinson

Chapters
00:00
Introduction and Community Life
03:03
John's Early Life and Struggles
05:54
Coming Out and Embracing Identity
08:58
The Journey into Ex-Gay Ministry
11:48
Family Dynamics and Healing
15:01
The Cracks in the Ex-Gay Ministry
19:57
Transitioning Away from Ex-Gay Beliefs
25:04
New Relationships and Personal Growth
35:03
Redefining God and Spirituality
38:32
Living Authentically and Embracing Life
42:41
Exploring Sexual Freedom and Relationships
50:17
The Impact of Ex-Gay Ministries
56:23
Supporting the Transgender Community
58:01
Lessons Learned and Guiding Principles
TAKEAWAYS:
John was raised in a complicated household that impacted his emotional development.
He discovered his identity as a homosexual later in life after years of confusion.
John believed he was doing God's work while involved in ex-gay ministries.
He struggled with intimacy in his marriage due to his sexual orientation.
John's journey led him to question the beliefs he had held for years.
He found freedom in accepting his identity and moving away from ex-gay beliefs.
John emphasizes the importance of living authentically and being true to oneself.
He is actively involved in supporting the LGBTQ community in Hot Springs.
John reflects on the impact of ex-gay ministries and the harm they cause.
He believes in making amends to those affected by his past actions.
SUMMARY:
In this conversation, John Smid shares his journey from a complicated upbringing to discovering his identity as a gay man. He discusses his experiences with ex-gay ministries, the struggles he faced with family acceptance, and his eventual transition away from those beliefs. John reflects on his current views on faith, sexuality, and the importance of community support, emphasizing the need for authenticity and personal growth.
From John J. Smid:
I was born in July of 1954. Throughout my life I have lived through the mantra, “How can things be better?” As I continue to ask that question, my life has gone through several quite impactful life transitions.
I have been married three times. I have two children and four grandchildren from my first marriage. Each marriage was a classroom of life for me through which I grew more aware each time that being a gay man wasn’t always easy to embrace.
I spent over 25 years trying to suppress my natural sexuality in order to please God and my then, religious beliefs. 22 of those years I was deeply entrenched in the Evangelical ExGay movement. I was the Executive Director for Love In Action, a residential ExGay ministry and a board member for eleven of those years with Exodus International, a worldwide coalition of ExGay ministries.
I resigned from Love in Action in 2008 and at that time began a search for what was really true for me and my religious beliefs. I’ve spent these last 17 years working to make amends whenever possible for the messages I taught and the impact they had on hundreds of people very personally. Through personal reconnections with program clients and speaking out I hope I am at least making a dent in the harm done.
After 24 years in my second marriage, I finally grew the courage to answer that life question once again. For life to be better I needed to fully embrace my homosexuality and life a more authentic life.
Today, I am married to my husband Larry. We spend most of our time managing our acreage in central Arkansas and our little Airbnb cabin. We have a wonderful LGBTQ+ community here and are very active socially with our friends.
Website:
http://www.johnjsmid.com

John's book: https://johnjsmid.com/exd-out-2/

Contact via email: [email protected]

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