This man shared his story about overcoming conversion therapy & sparked a national conversation
Matthias McManus has gone viral a few times in the past.
Mark
Matthias McManus has gone viral a few times in the past.
The L.A.-based creative shares highlights of his wonderful life on TikTok and Instagram, such as engagement photos or the many advantages of being a DINK couple. When he addresses hard issues, he often uses humor, such as when he called out a group of teenagers who called him the f-slur.
“I live in West Hollywood,” he says. “Like, no sh*t. Fork found in kitchen.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Blessed with a great job and partner, McManus’ current day-to-day is filled with highlights. But he carries a backstory that few of his followers know.
On a recent day, he decided to share it, and was met with more support than he could’ve imagined.
“It’s the LGBTQ+ community,” he tells Queerty. “It felt like a community.”
The court case
The deluge of anti-LGBTQ+ news emanating out of Washington is desensitizing. Each day seems to bring more bad news, with no end in sight.
At a certain point, the stories can feel impersonal.
In that context, a recent item about the Supreme Court’s conservative majority readying to rule against a conversion therapy ban may have flown under the radar. Last week, the Court heard arguments in a case that challenges Colorado’s ban on the discredited practice.
During the 90-minute session, it was apparent the Court’s six conservative members are prepared to overturn the law on First Amendment grounds, CNN reports.
The dangers of conversion therapy are well established. Research shows it increases a person’s risk of self-harm and myriad other health problems. Children who undergo conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to run away.
With those harrowing facts in mind, nearly half of states have banned the practice for minors. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the petitioner, Kaley Chiles, those laws would likely be challenged nationwide.
McManus couldn’t let that happen silently. Conversion therapy remains legal in his home state of Missouri, and as a teenager, he was sent against his will.
The damage almost cost him his own life. For him, the Supreme Court’s apparent willingness to green-light conversion therapy for kids wasn’t just another negative headline.
He felt compelled to share his story.
“Sometimes we don’t know if things are real or not, or if they’re hyperbolized,” he said. “I wanted to come out and say, ‘Hey, this is something that I’ve gone through.’ Just to let people know.”
Opening up
Displaying any sort of vulnerability online can be scary, especially in these MAGA-fied times. With his post on X, McManus knew he was opening himself up to bad faith critics.
But he determined the potential benefits were worth it. McManus wants people to know that conversion therapy isn’t a relic of the past. It’s still happening across the country today, putting LGBTQ+ kids in jeopardy.
McManus started his sessions in 2015, the same year gay marriage was legalized nationwide.
“Even though it may be 2025, there are still so many things the LGBTQ+ community has to overcome,” McManus said. “I think there’s this misconception, ‘Oh you have gay marriage, so things should be totally fine now.’ We still have a lot we’re trying to fight for in the world.”
Feeling the love
Over the last week, McManus has heard from dozens of queer people who also survived conversion therapy. They’ve told him they now feel less alone.
“Conversion therapy, the intention behind it is to isolate you,” he said. “To have dozens of people say ‘I feel seen in this,’ at the end of the day, that was worth it.”
Though McManus saw some hateful messages, he didn’t respond.
The community had his back.
“It was really humbling. I was deeply moved by it,” he said. “It felt like there was a tidal wave of everybody saying ‘we support you.’”
A story of triumph
Growing up in the mid-2010s, McManus was privy to out gay role models. But the string of “It Gets Better” PSAs didn’t provide him with much comfort.
At the time, personal bliss seemed out of reach.
“They constantly would say ‘it gets better.’ I remember being a young kid and just thinking to myself, ‘I don’t know if it is gonna get better for me,'” he said.
A decade later, McManus can confidently say it has. He lives in a sunny gay mecca with his fiancé, and works in entertainment.
That’s the story he wants everyone to take away.
“I met the love of my life. We’re engaged, doing wedding planning,” he said. “If you would’ve told that to me a decade ago, it would’ve been life-changing for me. It does get better.”
Part of his healing process has been letting go.
“You’d be surprised how much people can grow and learn from their mistakes and realize harm that they’ve done,” he said. “I think that’s really important for today and the world we’re living in right now. People deserve forgiveness.”
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