A former ‘ex-gay’ activist has predicted that the ‘gay cure’ movement will be dead within a decade.

Yvette Cantu Schneider, who previously claimed to have been cured of lesbianism and worked with Family Research Council and Focus On The Family, has disowned all her former work.

She also told the Southern Poverty Law Center that she expects groups trying to cure gay people to die off within 10 years.

She said: “I think the ex-gay movement will be dead within the next 10 years.

“As churches become more gay-affirming, parents and church leaders won’t seek parachurch ministries to ‘fix’ in gay Christians what isn’t broken.

“The fact that the ex-gay movement has been a monumental failure with no real, lasting change in those who have sought to negate same-sex attractions and become heterosexual will become more and more apparent to the average lay Christian.

“This is especially true in the age of social media, when information spreads like wildfire and can’t easily be suppressed.

“I’m sure there will be pockets of people here and there who will still try to change someone’s orientation. But the movement as a relevant entity in the push for LGBT rights will be defunct.”

She added: “I spent 20 years in the Christian world and I have never seen anyone’s sexual orientation change.

“What makes ex-gay therapy so devastating is that people are taught to believe that there is something wrong with them that needs healing.

“The message that resounds like a relentless drumbeat is that you aren’t good enough, and you need to change.

“It isn’t hard to imagine the effect this has on LGBT people, which is why all the major mental and medical health organizations have deemed sexual orientation change therapy efforts not only ineffective, but damaging.”

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