Disney Channel alum Matthew Scott Montgomery revealed his experience going through gay conversion therapy during a podcast with fellow Disney Channel alum Christy Carlson Romano on Tuesday.
The actor, best known for his portrayal of Matthew Bailey in the popular series “So Random!,” shared his personal journey of coming out as a gay man on Romano’s podcast “Vulnerable.” Montgomery said he grew up with “very, very conservative” parents who believed that “gay people are the most evil thing that could possibly exist.”
Due to this, he spent most of his younger years concealing his true identity. His efforts extended as far as attending conversion therapy sessions during his breaks from working as a Disney Channel star. “Disney was always really great to me. Disney had nothing to do with it, it was not their idea,” Montgomery explained. “They didn’t know, no one knew, my cast mates didn’t know at the time.”
Disney Star Matthew Scott Montgomery Details His Harrowing Experience with Electroshock and Conversion Therapy https://t.co/j3ZfZz474d
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The actor further said the center he attended was a place for “gay men who wanted to be turned from gay to straight and make it as a straight movie star.” His homework included tasks ranging from playing football to apologizing to his father for qualities they deemed as sensitive and “artistic.” (RELATED: ‘Chilling Effect’: States Are Cracking Down On Therapists Who Don’t Affirm Kids’ Trans Identities)
Montgomery was already 18 at the time, and technically had the freedom to leave conversion therapy if he wanted, he explained. “In the environment I was raised in, the belief was ingrained that one constantly deserved punishment.”