The British Church paid a five-figure settlement to Matthew Drapper, a 37-year-old gay man. He says he was exposed to an exorcism intended to “cure” homosexuality.
Drapper, a volunteer in St. Thomas Philadelphia – Anglican Baptist Church, Sheffield, England – The era During the 2014 “Meet God” weekend, he was told that “sexual impurities” had the devil enter into his body and he needed an exorcism to drive them out.
He instructed a married couple who served as prayer leaders at the church to exorcize and “break the agreement between Hollywood and the media,” leading him to what he called a “disrespectful lifestyle.”
“Looking back, it seems like something from a horror movie because someone is standing on top of you and saying that the demon leaving your body is so scary,” Drapper said. The era. “But when you’re deeply tied to the church, I was back then, so you can easily believe anything they say to you.”
Drapper was tormented after exorcism, left vulnerable, and became extremely depressed and committed suicide. He left the church in 2016.
“This has led me to lose my Christian faith,” he said. “I don’t feel connected to it anymore.”
In 2019, Drapper filed a formal exorcism complaint and demanded an apology from St. Thomas Philadelphia, who was to comply with Sheffield Parish’s Conservation Rules.
The church, also a registered charity, initially claimed there was a complaint from Drapper, “there is no evidence to demonstrate.” However, he pursued the issue in the parish, which asked a global charity to investigate the allegations.
Last year, Barnardo published a report detailing the investigation and Drapper’s account, dubbed the “supported fact” that he was exposed to a prayer session “in our view it was in the form of an exorcism.” The charity added: [Drapper] And prayer was administered with the intention of changing his sexual identity. ”
Following Valnardo’s report, St. Thomas Philadelphia issued a statement. “We are so saddened that one of our community doesn’t care the way we like. We’ve sincerely apologized for this.”
Following the review, Drapper filed a legal claim against St. Thomas Philadelphia, which ultimately led to an out-of-court settlement. The compensation amount was private but has been reported to be in the five-digit range.
“I wanted this issue to be heard in public courts, but I knew that the church insurance companies could face a long legal process, claiming my claim was beyond the legal period,” Drapper said.
Drapper’s lawyer Richard Scorer believes his client’s victory may mark the first time the church has paid compensation to someone who has been exposed to conversion therapy.
“As far as I know, this is the first payment of damages in regards to harm caused by conversion or exorcism practices,” he said. The era. “We have shown that churches engaged in these abominable homophobic practices may face legal claims and damages awards, and we hope that the church will encourage a ban on such practices entirely.”
The UK’s labor-led government has pledged to ban conversion therapy, but it also argued that former conservative-led governments would support the ban. However, the proposed laws have been repeated. stallfaces opposition from right-wing politicians, religious groups advocating violations of religious freedom, and anti-trans activists opposed to the protection of transgender individuals.
Critics of the prohibition of conversion therapy argue that inclusion of gender identity as a protected trait could force therapists to abandon their exploratory approach in favor of the “positive” model. However, many medical professionals say Prohibitions can be created to enable exploratory therapy, and similar laws have already been enacted in other countries.
It is located in the Church of England It is listed That conversion therapy “doesn’t exist in the modern world.”
Meanwhile, Drapper and other survivors have launched websites that encourage others to share their stories with others who have similar experiences. Drapper believes this practice is more widespread than reporting.
“I imagine this kind of practice as outdated, but it has revived in recent decades and is often referred to as ‘power healing’,” he said. “I know about 20 people who have gone through it, but I think there are many more.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
