Alyson Stoner recently told Insider that she went to a form of conversion therapy while struggling with her sexuality.
The Cheaper By The Dozen actress, who identifies as pansexual, said that she sought out a kind of “outpatient version” of conversion therapy because her feelings for a woman conflicted with her religion.
She told the outlet, “To hear from people you trust, from people you respect, from people you might even aspire to become, that you at your core are 'rotten,' 'abominable,' that the devil has a target on your back because of your position in Hollywood… It just sends you into a spiral, at least for me, because I just wanted to do the right thing.”
Stoner says that the experience was so stressful that she finds it “legitimately difficult” to talk about. She explains, “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.”
Stoner said the therapy can result in people taking their own lives as they feel so ashamed of themselves that they feel they don't have any value.
