The Church of England has paid a five-figure settlement to a gay man who says he was subjected to a terrifying exorcism meant to purge his “sexual impurity.” You might say to have Jesus “drive out the gay.”
Matthew Drapper, 37, was volunteering at St. Thomas Philadelphia, a church in Sheffield, England when he attended what was billed as an “Encounter God Weekend.” Expecting a contemporary and welcoming experience, he says he instead endured a deeply traumatic ritual meant to drive out gay urges. Drapper told The Times.
“Looking back, it seems like something out of a horror movie — for someone to be standing over you saying they can see the demons leaving your body is quite terrifying..But when you are deeply tied into the church, as I was at that time, it is easy to believe anything they tell you.”
The experience led Drapper to abandon Christianity altogether. Church officials initially denied the event took place, but an independent investigation by the charity Barnardo’s—commissioned by the Diocese of Sheffield—confirmed the session did occur.
It was described as a “prayer session” to change Drapper’s sexual identity. Drapper filed a legal complaint in 2022, calling the exorcism ritual a form of conversion therapy. Though he wished to go to court, the church’s insurers argued his claim exceeded the legal time limit.
To avoid a lengthy legal battle, he accepted a settlement. His attorney, Richard Scorer, believes this is the first time a U.K. church has paid damages to a conversion therapy survivor.
Scorer said, “It demonstrates that churches which engage in these abhorrent homophobic practices may face legal claims and damages awards, and I hope it will encourage churches to ban such practices entirely.” The case comes as the U.K. continues to consider legislation to ban conversion therapy nationwide.
