Matthew Hyndman, a current contestant on the hit BBC One show The Traitors, has spoken publicly about his traumatic experience of so-called gay conversion therapy, after the church he attended tried to 'cure' his sexuality.
A Private Revelation Made Public
The 35-year-old creative director from Edinburgh, who grew up in Northern Ireland, first detailed his ordeal in a 2021 column. His crisis began when private online conversations in which he discussed his sexuality were shared without his consent. An email revealing he was a gay man was sent to approximately 100 members of his tight-knit church community, including the pastor and his own family.
At the time, aged 24, Hyndman was serving as a church missionary sailing across the Indian and South China Seas. He described wrestling with a sexuality he had been taught would lead to 'eternal damnation'. Instead of offering support, mission leaders demanded he undergo therapy and publicly confess and repent in front of 400 fellow missionaries.
Founding a Movement for Change
In the aftermath of what he calls his 'catastrophic coming out', one of his former churches cancelled his membership due to his 'lifestyle choices' and refusal to undergo 'counselling'. Reflecting now, Hyndman says he is 'glad he had the strength of mind to refuse' as he 'didn't need to change or cure' himself.
This painful experience led him to found the Ben Conversion Therapy movement in 2020, which calls on the UK government to fulfil its commitment to ban conversion practices nationwide. He movingly concluded that undergoing such therapy is not an act of free will, stating: 'You do not have free will with a loaded gun to your head.'
The Political Promise of a Ban
A ban on conversion therapy, which aims to suppress or change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, was first promised by former Prime Minister Theresa May in 2018. The policy was later downgraded under Boris Johnson to exclude transgender people, before the government under Rishi Sunak said in January 2023 it would ban it for 'everyone'.
This legislation has still not materialised, with the Conservative government stating it is a 'very complex issue'. In 2024, the Labour Party revealed draft plans to ban the 'abuse' of conversion therapy for all, while aiming to protect legitimate forms of support and counselling.
Leaving Northern Ireland for London, Hyndman built a new life and community. He admits 'nothing of his old life remains' and faced 'years of silence' from his family. Now on The Traitors, he made show history this week by attempting to strike a deal with the hidden Traitors, asking them to recruit him later in exchange for a murder.
Speaking before the series, Hyndman linked his potential prize money to his personal journey, noting he campaigned for marriage equality in Northern Ireland and now wishes to marry his partner on his family farm in County Tyrone.
