Singer-songwriter Steve Grand has revealed that a Christian
therapist warned him against living life as a gay man.
Grand's gay-themed All-American Boy became an instant
YouTube hit when it was released on July 2, topping out at 1 million
views just 8 days after its release, turning Grand into an overnight
Internet celebrity. His follow up single, Stay, has also been
well received.
(Related: Steve
Grand gets the boy in second music video Stay.)
In a cover story with gay glossy Instinct,
the 23-year-old Grand discussed the therapy he received after coming
out gay to his Christian family.
“This is such a touchy subject to talk about,” Grand said. “I
don't want to misrepresent what happened, but I also don't want to
endorse anything or take away from others' experiences,” said
Grand. “I was not in conversion therapy. I was seeing a Christian
therapist, who, among many beliefs, believed I would be happier if I
didn't live life as a gay man. He did not shame me. He did not make
me feel bad for what I felt. But he did believe I would be happier
in life if I lived as a heterosexual, and that part is indeed
harmful. If you're doing anything but affirming someone's sexuality,
you're harming them. Especially a child.”