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Disney star Alyson Stoner underwent conversion therapy after falling in love with a woman
Alyson said it was difficult to discuss her experience (Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/FilmMagic,)
Disney star Alyson Stoner underwent a form of conversion therapy after falling in love with a woman.
The 27-year-old revealed in 2018 that she is attracted to ‘men, women and people who identify in other ways’.
At the time, she shared in an essay for Teen Vogue that ‘certain pastors and community members tried to reverse and eliminate my attraction’ to a woman she fell for.
Now, Alyson has shared that she checked herself into an ‘outpatient variation’ of conversion therapy as she struggled to deal with being queer.
The Camp Rock star struggled to reconcile her sexuality with her faith, and told Insider that her experience is ‘legitimately difficult’ to talk about.
She said: ‘My mind doesn’t want to even go there. My legs started shaking at the thought of reliving some of it. I know firsthand how dangerous it is for me as someone who had access to therapy and other forms of support. And I still was considering whether my life was worth living or, if everything was wrong with me, then what good was it for me to be around, starting to see myself as someone who only brought harm to other people to society.’
The star now identifies as pansexual (Picture: Rich Fury/Getty Images)
Alyson said that she was sent into a ‘spiral’ after hearing from people she trusted and respected that ‘you at your core are “rotten,” “abominable,” that the devil has a target on your back because of your position in Hollywood.’
The Cheaper By The Dozen actress went on to say that the conversion therapy messed up her ability to ‘foster genuine relationships’, and the dangers are ‘measurable’, as some people can end up taking their own lives due to the shame they feel.
A study published by the Trevor Project in the American Journal of Public Health found that LGBTQ+ youth who were placed in conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to report having attempted suicide and more than 2.5 times as likely to report multiple suicide attempts in the past year.
Alyson now identifies as pansexual, and has written a book called Mind Body Pride, with the proceeds going to LGBTQ+ youth organisations.
Alyson shot to fame as a child actor and dancer (Picture: Albert L. Ortega/WireImage)
She had previously admitted that her worldview did not ‘support or accept’ same-sex relationships when she fell for another woman, writing in Teen Vogue: ‘My faith at that time played a large role in every aspect of my life, and my worldview neither supported nor accepted same-sex relationships. I prayed in turmoil nightly, begging to be healed from these desires. Certain pastors and community members tried to reverse and eliminate my attraction to her.
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‘I pursued physical relationships with men to convince myself that my love for her was just a spiritual battle attacking my character and discernment. I pored over texts, contemporary and ancient, seeking truth and answers from professors, scientists, church leaders, friends, and family. I didn’t want to get this wrong. After all, not only was I trying to be a “good and upright” person, but I’m also a public figure with responsibility and extreme pressure.’
Alyson first became known when she was cast as a dancer in Missy Elliot’s video for Work It, and went on to star in Eminem’s video for Just Lose It.
She starred as Sarah Baker in the Cheaper By The Dozen films, and in shows including Drake & Josh, That’s So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Phineas and Ferb.
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