Conversion Therapy Droupout | Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez | Queerfully Made S2 Ep20

Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez spent eight years in conversion therapy with Exodus International while doing social media and marketing for some of the biggest churches in the world, including Willow Creek, the Global Leadership Summit and Hillsong.We talk Hillsong's chair trick (and Bobbie's comment), the job offer that came with a celibacy condition, the Mark Driscoll arena that broke him, his first gay Christian conference, taking communion after ten years, worship music as reclamation, sobriety, the Lost Boys, and his message to pastors still sending young people to conversion practices.Timothy's book Conversion Therapy Dropout is out now: www.conversiontherapydropoutbook.comMentioned: our episode with Professor Timothy Jones on Australia's research into conversion practices.Queerfully Made is the podcast exploring the intersection of faith, sexuality and gender, hosted by Aaron Kelly and Ben Nicholson in Naarm/Melbourne.Follow Timothy: @timothy.s.rodriguez)If this episode brings things up, QLife (1800 184 527) offers free LGBTIQ+ peer support across Australia.Chapters00:00 Cold open00:32 Acknowledgement of Country01:15 Welcome Timothy02:53 Hillsong's chairs and Bobbie's comment08:42 Working at Hillsong while out11:31 The job offer with a celibacy condition15:13 Eight years in conversion therapy19:57 The last Exodus conference and burnout22:11 Mark Driscoll and a breakdown23:39 His first gay Christian conference27:39 Communion after ten years29:41 Religious trauma and worship music35:28 Finding a church that fits37:36 Shame, sobriety and God on the dance floor40:23 Too gay for the church, too Christian for the gays43:59 Why he wrote the book48:02 Back at Hillsong49:38 Ministry looks different now53:38 To the kid still in church54:57 To the pastor57:46 Where to find the book