David Matheson (campaigner)

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David Matheson (born 1961) is an American clinical mental-health counselor based in Utah. He is known for his previous advocacy of conversion therapy. In 2019, he announced he was divorcing his wife of 34 years and intended to live as a gay man. [1] [2] [3] He was involved in leadership with People Can Change (now known as Brother’s Road) and co-created the “Journey into Manhood” weekend retreat offered by that organization. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Matheson is sometimes described as a former leader within the “ex-gay” or “sexual-orientation-change-effort” movement. Once referred to by media outlets as “the intellectual godfather” of conversion therapy, he later disavowed the practice, expressing regret for the harm it caused. [1] He currently operates a gay-affirmative counseling practice in Draper, Utah. [7]

Early life and education

David Matheson was born in 1961 in Murray, Utah, and raised in Sandy, Utah. He was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). [1] He has described having experienced same-sex attraction since adolescence but long believed heterosexual marriage would resolve those feelings. He married at age 23 and remained married for 34 years. The couple had three children. [8] He holds a Master of Science in Counseling and Guidance from Brigham Young University, the LDS Church’s largest school. [3] [9] [10] [11]

Matheson, a former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, later said he had ended his membership and criticized what he described as the church’s “shame-based, homophobic-based system.” He has since stated that he fully renounced conversion therapy and expressed regret for the harm it caused. [3] [7] [10] [12]

Career

In the 1990s, Matheson became involved with the now-defunct Mormon-affiliated group Evergreen International and co-authored its workbook for men. [13] [14] He was, early in his own career, a protégé of Joseph Nicolosi, founder of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). [1] [15] [16]

He later co-founded People Can Change (rebranded in 2016 as Brothers on a Road Less Traveled) and co-created the Journey into Manhood retreat program, which sought to help men reconcile conflicts between same-sex attraction and religious or cultural values. [4] [6] [17] [18]

Matheson established the Center for Gender Wholeness in Utah, where his practice centered on what he termed “gender wholeness”, counseling aimed at helping men “reduce unwanted same-sex attraction.” He began full-time practice in New Jersey in 2004, counseling only men, and the goal was always to help them develop what he called ‘gender wholeness.’ Over time, he stated that his clinical focus shifted away from attempting to alter sexual orientation toward helping clients achieve self-acceptance and reconcile faith and sexuality. [5] [19] [20] [10]

Changing views and later work

Matheson has said his views began evolving around 2013 after involvement with a mixed-ideology professional dialogue group, the Reconciliation and Growth Project. By 2019 he publicly affirmed that “conversion therapy didn’t actually work, and homosexuality was never a disorder.” [1] [3] He has since offered counseling described as “gay-affirmative,” assisting clients who have experienced religious trauma or who are navigating conflicts between faith and sexual orientation. [6] [21]

Publications

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Once-prominent 'conversion therapist' will now 'pursue life as a gay man'". NBC News . January 23, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Former Mormon ex-gay 'conversion therapist' comes out as gay". Special Broadcasting Service . Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Holpuch, Amanda (January 25, 2019). "Man who worked as top 'conversion therapist' comes out as gay". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Mormon who led gay conversion therapy comes out as gay". Evening Standard . January 25, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Wayback Machine" (PDF). files.eqcf.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 1, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Aaron, Michael (February 1, 2019). "Prominent Utah Mormon 'ex-gay' therapist affirms he is gay". QSaltLake Magazine. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Forrest, Adam. "A prominent 'gay conversion therapist' has divorced his wife of 34 years and now identifies as gay". The Independent . Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Former Utah conversion therapist comes out: 'I am gay'". KSL.com . Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  9. ↑ Luo, Michael (February 12, 2007). "Some Tormented by Homosexuality Look to a Controversial Therapy". The New York Times . Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 "He Told Others Being Gay Was a Disorder, Then Came Out Himself". The California Sunday Magazine. October 1, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Wayback Machine". scholarsarchive.byu.edu. Archived from the original on November 1, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Prominent US 'gay conversion therapist' David Matheson divorces wife and comes out as gay". Sky News. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  13. ↑ SteveDensleyJr (January 11, 2012). "FAIR Examination 7: Therapy and same-sex attraction--David Matheson | FAIR Blog". FAIR. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Matheson, David - North Star Conferences". October 18, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  15. ↑ "'I had to make substantial changes' — former reparative therapist comes out as gay, renounces past conversion efforts, hopes for shifts in his LDS faith". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Well-Known Ex-Gay Therapist Comes Out as Gay, Seeks To Date Men". Southern Poverty Law Center. January 22, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  17. ↑ Eaton, Daysha (February 25, 2019). ""We Can Cure This" — One Man's Troubled Journey Through Years Of Conversion Therapy In Utah". KUER. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). assets2.hrc.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 1, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Gay Conversion Therapist Announces He Is Homosexual". Newsweek. January 22, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  20. ↑ Marr, Rhuaridh (February 4, 2019). "Former "ex-gay" advocate David Matheson finally admits conversion therapy doesn't work". Metro Weekly. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Former conversion therapist says he regrets efforts to change sexual orientation". KUTV. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  22. ↑ Rodriguez, Mathew (October 22, 2025). "Who Is David Matheson? The "Godfather of Conversion Therapy" on Heather Gay's 'Surviving Mormonism'". Them. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  23. ↑ Matheson, David (November 8, 2013). Becoming a Whole Man: Principles and Archetypes. United States: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN   978-1493697250.


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