Founder of Leading Conversion Therapy Program Comes Out, Apologizes

Yet another leader in the conversion therapy movement has denounced the process and come out as a proud gay man.

McKrae Game founded a conversion therapy program in South Carolina twenty years ago. It was ultimately rebranded as Hope for Wholeness, and became one of the most prominent ex-gay programs in the country.

Game continued working with the group up until two years ago, but now, he says he understands and deeply regrets all the damage Hope for Wholeness has done.

“I know that creating the organization that still lives was in a large way causing harm,” he wrote on Facebook. “Creating a catchy slogan that put out a very misleading idea of ‘Freedom from homosexuality through Jesus Christ’ was definitely harmful.”

“People reported to attempt suicide because of me and these teachings and ideals. I told people they were going to Hell if they didn’t stop,” Game admitted.

His own journey involved being out as a gay man when he was younger, but feeling unable to “reconcile his sexual identity and his faith,” according to a recent interview with The Post and Courier. He spent six years in therapy “overcoming” his own attraction to men and eventually married a woman and started a family.

During that time, Game says, his sexuality never changed. He had an affair with another man early on in his marriage, and eventually threw himself into launching his conversion therapy ministry.

“When I started Truth Ministry [now Hope for Wholeness], I believed the gay community and the world was lying about homosexuality and this whole subject,” he said. “I felt it was this big ruse and there was a lot of deceit. I was trying to tell the truth.”

Now, he knows better.

Game has been out publicly since June, though he still remains married to his wife and says he isn’t looking for a relationship. Instead, he seems more focused on trying to find a way to soothe some of the damage he’s done over the last twenty years.

“We’ve done wrong, we need to admit our wrongs, and do what we can do to stop the wrong from continuing to happen.”