TL;DR
- Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez shares his journey from conversion therapy.
- The memoir highlights the dangers of evangelical culture.
- Rodriguez’s story emphasizes the importance of finding belonging.
- He exposes the harmful practices of conversion therapy.
- The book is a testament to resilience and self-acceptance.
Get ready, darlings, because Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez is here to spill the tea in his new memoir, Conversion Therapy Dropout: A Queer Story of Faith and Belonging. This isn’t just any old book; it’s a heartfelt and heartbreaking journey through the evangelical maze of shame and conversion therapy, and trust us, you won’t want to miss it.
Picture this: a young Timothy, growing up in Peoria, Illinois, in the 1980s, unwrapping a basketball instead of the Easy-Bake Oven he desperately wanted. A familiar tale for many young queers, right? But this is just the beginning of a rollercoaster ride that would shape his relationship with faith for decades. “The fear that I might be fundamentally unacceptable to God and that there was something in me that needed to be fixed would shape my relationship with faith for decades to come,” he writes, and honey, that hits hard.
Rodriguez takes us through eight long years of conversion therapy – yes, that discredited practice that tries to change who you are at your core. He dives deep into the dark underbelly of evangelical culture, where shame thrives and belonging often comes with a hefty price tag. And just when you think it can’t get any worse, the Supreme Court drops a bombshell, striking down Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy. Talk about a plot twist!
But wait, there’s more! Our author didn’t just sit back and take this lying down. Oh no, he became the digital wizard behind some of the biggest megachurches, all while grappling with his own identity. “I was useful in the shadows, but unacceptable in the light,” he reveals, and we can’t help but feel for him. He was crafting messages of belonging for institutions that would never accept him. The irony is deliciously painful.
As he navigates the treacherous waters of his faith and identity, Rodriguez shares moments of sheer humor amidst the heartache. One scene has a male attendee of an Exodus Youth program blasting Britney Spears and strutting his stuff, only to be met with a pastor’s furious outburst. “Where is the fear of the Lord in this place?” Oh honey, the struggle is real, but so is the laughter!
After a decade of battling depression and substance abuse, Rodriguez finally breaks free from the chains of conversion therapy, stepping into a vibrant queer community that embraces him for who he truly is. He finds love, acceptance, and a sense of belonging that he thought was forever out of reach. “May you know healing… may you run your race with joy… ” he concludes, and we can’t help but cheer him on.
So grab your copy of Conversion Therapy Dropout and prepare to be inspired. It’s not just a memoir; it’s a powerful reminder that we are all worthy of love and belonging, no matter where we come from. Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez is here to show us that sometimes, the greatest journey is the one back to ourselves. And darling, that’s a journey worth taking.