The Traitors star Matthew co-founded anti conversion therapy group, revealing church tried to ‘cure’ him of being gay
“You do not have free will with a loaded gun to your head," said Hyndman
By Aaron Sugg
The Traitors star Matthew Hyndman is the co-founder of the Ban Conversion Therapy group, a UK-wide coalition campaigning to end the harmful practices attempting to suppress LGBTQ+ identities.
The creative director has previously shared his own experience of conversion practices in a 2021 op-ed for The Independent.
In 2015, as a 24-year-old missionary, Hyndman was subjected to conversion therapy after private online conversations in which he disclosed his sexuality as a gay man were accidentally shared in an email sent to his congregation.
“I didn’t need to change or ‘cure’ myself” – Matthew Hyndman on refusing conversion therapy
The email was received by around 100 members of his religious community in Northern Ireland, including his family, pastor and friends back home. Following this, Hyndman was pressured to undergo conversion therapy in front of 400 fellow missionaries.
He revealed how he fought through the mental toll of the experience, saying: “I am glad that I had the strength of mind to refuse, and recognise that I didn’t need to change or ‘cure’ myself.”
“For many, refusing conversion therapy means losing your family, faith, community, career, friends – your entire life,” he added. “You do not have free will with a loaded gun to your head.”
Hyndman also recalled receiving a letter that same year from one of his former churches, formally cancelling his membership because of his “lifestyle choices” as a gay man and his refusal to undergo therapy.
“We must outlaw them now” – Hyndman calling for the UK government to outlaw conversion therapy
Five years later, he and his close friend Harry Hitchens launched Ban Conversion Therapy, a campaign supported by organisations including Stonewall, calling on the UK government to ban conversion therapy once and for all.
“These degrading and discriminatory ‘treatments’ ruin the lives of LGBT+ people,” Hyndman said. “We must outlaw them now.”
The UK government first pledged to ban conversion therapy in 2018. However, several years on, and despite a renewed commitment to publish a draft bill in late 2024, the practice has yet to be outlawed through legislation.
Now appearing on mainstream television, the campaigner, creative director and nude model, has a new platform to spotlight his work.
The Traitors continues on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 14 January.
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