--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My conservative group of friends, whom I…" description: "\"“My conservative group of friends, whom I trusted through Lance, strangely accepted that we were gay and deep in the closet and suggested we consider r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ee/charles-benedict-3426_group-of-friends_my-conservative-group-of-friends-whom-i_977746.jpg" --- # My conservative group of friends, whom I trusted through… ![“My conservative group of friends, whom I trusted through Lance, strangely accepted that we were gay and deep in the closet and suggested we consider rehabilitative therapy for our homosexual inclinations. They acquired and presented us with ex-gay paraphernalia, including materials from The…” quote by Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ee/charles-benedict-3426_group-of-friends_my-conservative-group-of-friends-whom-i_977746.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ee/charles-benedict-3426_group-of-friends_my-conservative-group-of-friends-whom-i_977746.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ee/charles-benedict-3426_group-of-friends_my-conservative-group-of-friends-whom-i_977746.jpg) > ““My conservative group of friends, whom I trusted through Lance, strangely accepted that we were gay and deep in the closet and suggested we consider rehabilitative therapy for our homosexual inclinations. They acquired and presented us with ex-gay paraphernalia, including materials from The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), an organization that promised men and women could be straightened out.”” [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The anecdote reveals how peer pressure and misguided “therapy” can push LGBTQ individuals toward harmful conversion attempts, reflecting societal stigma. **In simple terms:** Friends pushed harmful therapy due to bias. Key Takeaway Question the motives behind such “help”. Themes stigma conversion therapy peer pressure Mood cautionary empathetic Type personal social. When to use this quote - counseling - support groups - activism - education - policy advocacy Key Concepts psychology social influence LGBTQ rights Questions to Reflect On - Why do some still endorse conversion methods? - How can allies better support LGBTQ individuals? A Different Perspective Conversion therapy lacks scientific basis and can cause lasting trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) ## Related quotes > [A person with homosexual inclinations, where they're kept under control, or, if yielded to are appropriately repented of, is eligible to do anything in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/a-person-with-homosexual-inclinations-where-they-re-kept-under/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [Persons who have cleansed themselves of any transgression and who have shown their ability to deal with homosexual inclinations and put them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/persons-who-have-cleansed-themselves-of-any-transgression-and-who/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [Marriage should not be viewed as a therapeutic step to solve problems such as homosexual inclinations or practices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/marriage-should-not-be-viewed-as-a-therapeutic-step-to-solve-problems/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [For me, I always go back to when I was 10 years old and, I think between the time I was 10 and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-giacchino/for-me-i-always-go-back-to-when-i-was-10-years-old-and-i-think/) [Michael Giacchino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-giacchino/) > [Just when I'm about to part with my friends is when I realize that I had the best group of friends ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-when-i-m-about-to-part-with-my-friends-is-when-i-realize-that-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People expect your life to change completely. The main difference is I can get work now. I can do my hobby as a job.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-irvine/people-expect-your-life-to-change-completely-the-main-difference-is-i/) [Jeremy Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-irvine/) > [“We had grown into one another somewhere along the way. We were officially a team.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-a-thompson/we-had-grown-into-one-another-somewhere-along-the-way-we-were/) [Shannon A. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-a-thompson/) > [I try to have a very well-rounded group of friends that did a lot of different things and weren't just performers. Because I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/i-try-to-have-a-very-well-rounded-group-of-friends-that-did-a-lot-of/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [A healthy lifestyle includes exercise, nutrition, healthy sleep patterns and a healthy group of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-gregoire-trudeau/a-healthy-lifestyle-includes-exercise-nutrition-healthy-sleep/) [Sophie Gregoire Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-gregoire-trudeau/) > [Any holiday my group of friends and I managed to get, we would catch the early morning train to Lucknow to watch films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishwajeet-pradhan/any-holiday-my-group-of-friends-and-i-managed-to-get-we-would-catch/) [Vishwajeet Pradhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishwajeet-pradhan/) > [By the time I was 29 I'd spent eight years with someone else's group of friends. I had no idea what it was like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hunter/by-the-time-i-was-29-i-d-spent-eight-years-with-someone-else-s-group/) [Rachel Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hunter/) > [“And I want to be one of them. I want to be one of them so, so badly - to fit into this balance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lord/and-i-want-to-be-one-of-them-i-want-to-be-one-of-them-so-so-badly-to/) [Emery Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lord/) > [For a group of friends or a family dinner, fish tacos are popular and fun to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-douglas/for-a-group-of-friends-or-a-family-dinner-fish-tacos-are-popular-and/) [Tom Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-douglas/) > [I keep things moving along with a seriously loving, caring, and brilliant man, a fierce group of friends - and really strong coffee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/i-keep-things-moving-along-with-a-seriously-loving-caring-and/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [I have a really grounded group of friends, and they like me no matter what. I think it's really important to know who your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-guthy/i-have-a-really-grounded-group-of-friends-and-they-like-me-no-matter/) [Jackson Guthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-guthy/) ## More by Charles Benedict > [“Am I really going to hell for being gay?” Or, “I think I was born a woman in a man’s body. Does that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/am-i-really-going-to-hell-for-being-gay-or-i-think-i-was-born-a-woman/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“When we reconnected, he was there to guide me as I navigated the uncharted waters of dating”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/when-we-reconnected-he-was-there-to-guide-me-as-i-navigated-the/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“Clearly, my grandfather had paved the way for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/clearly-my-grandfather-had-paved-the-way-for-me/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“Could I survive in the world as an ex-priest that no one wanted anything to do with?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/could-i-survive-in-the-world-as-an-ex-priest-that-no-one-wanted/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“As a teenager, his teachers recognized his academic prowess and brilliant intelligence. They suggested he move into monastic life in order to further his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/as-a-teenager-his-teachers-recognized-his-academic-prowess-and/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“She could not handle telling people I had left priesthood, that I was gay, and she refused to use words associated with my sexuality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/she-could-not-handle-telling-people-i-had-left-priesthood-that-i-was/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“I found the courage to admit I was gay. This is when I said the words in my head and said them out loud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/i-found-the-courage-to-admit-i-was-gay-this-is-when-i-said-the-words/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“I finally left Ministry in mid-March 2009.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/i-finally-left-ministry-in-mid-march-2009/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“They were astute enough to know that I needed someone to share my life with…and they were right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/they-were-astute-enough-to-know-that-i-needed-someone-to-share-my/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“The particular rectory I moved in to was attached to the church. This was arguably one of the worst setups possible because living above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/the-particular-rectory-i-moved-in-to-was-attached-to-the-church-this/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“We did, however, deliver and expel many homosexual and sodomitic demons from my body, mind, heart, mouth, soul, penis, and anus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/we-did-however-deliver-and-expel-many-homosexual-and-sodomitic-demons/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“Every so often, Zach would say things like, “I like you,” or, “We think a lot alike.” I naively agreed with him because even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/every-so-often-zach-would-say-things-like-i-like-you-or-we-think-a/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“From that moment on, I never had another heated argument or conversation about my sexuality because my mother could not understand how anyone could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/from-that-moment-on-i-never-had-another-heated-argument-or/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“Though I wholeheartedly supported celibacy at the start of my seminary career, my opinion changed as I made my way toward and through priesthood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/though-i-wholeheartedly-supported-celibacy-at-the-start-of-my/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“I am not meant to be alone in life, and that the type of committed, indissoluble partnership in which I am engaged presently is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/i-am-not-meant-to-be-alone-in-life-and-that-the-type-of-committed/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) [Explore all 131 Charles Benedict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) ## More Group of friends quotes > [I have a really grounded group of friends, and they like me no matter what. I think it's really important to know who your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-guthy/i-have-a-really-grounded-group-of-friends-and-they-like-me-no-matter/) [Jackson Guthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-guthy/) > [I keep things moving along with a seriously loving, caring, and brilliant man, a fierce group of friends - and really strong coffee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/i-keep-things-moving-along-with-a-seriously-loving-caring-and/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [For a group of friends or a family dinner, fish tacos are popular and fun to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-douglas/for-a-group-of-friends-or-a-family-dinner-fish-tacos-are-popular-and/) [Tom Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-douglas/) > [“And I want to be one of them. I want to be one of them so, so badly - to fit into this balance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lord/and-i-want-to-be-one-of-them-i-want-to-be-one-of-them-so-so-badly-to/) [Emery Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lord/) > [By the time I was 29 I'd spent eight years with someone else's group of friends. I had no idea what it was like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hunter/by-the-time-i-was-29-i-d-spent-eight-years-with-someone-else-s-group/) [Rachel Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hunter/) > [Any holiday my group of friends and I managed to get, we would catch the early morning train to Lucknow to watch films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishwajeet-pradhan/any-holiday-my-group-of-friends-and-i-managed-to-get-we-would-catch/) [Vishwajeet Pradhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishwajeet-pradhan/) > [A healthy lifestyle includes exercise, nutrition, healthy sleep patterns and a healthy group of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-gregoire-trudeau/a-healthy-lifestyle-includes-exercise-nutrition-healthy-sleep/) [Sophie Gregoire Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-gregoire-trudeau/) > [I try to have a very well-rounded group of friends that did a lot of different things and weren't just performers. Because I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/i-try-to-have-a-very-well-rounded-group-of-friends-that-did-a-lot-of/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [“We had grown into one another somewhere along the way. We were officially a team.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-a-thompson/we-had-grown-into-one-another-somewhere-along-the-way-we-were/) [Shannon A. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-a-thompson/) > [People expect your life to change completely. The main difference is I can get work now. I can do my hobby as a job.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-irvine/people-expect-your-life-to-change-completely-the-main-difference-is-i/) [Jeremy Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-irvine/) > [Just when I'm about to part with my friends is when I realize that I had the best group of friends ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-when-i-m-about-to-part-with-my-friends-is-when-i-realize-that-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For me, I always go back to when I was 10 years old and, I think between the time I was 10 and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-giacchino/for-me-i-always-go-back-to-when-i-was-10-years-old-and-i-think/) [Michael Giacchino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-giacchino/) > [I love watching old movies, reading and having some good meals. I have a very close group of friends and family. I try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-bartha/i-love-watching-old-movies-reading-and-having-some-good-meals-i-have/) [Justin Bartha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-bartha/) > [Never hold up your entire group of friends in real life trying to capture a perfect Instagram pose. Nobody cares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-h-k-choi/never-hold-up-your-entire-group-of-friends-in-real-life-trying-to/) [Mary H.K. Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-h-k-choi/) > [It's a crazy world, and I just want to remain true to myself, if that means I remain true to my core group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaunie-o-neal/it-s-a-crazy-world-and-i-just-want-to-remain-true-to-myself-if-that/) [Shaunie O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaunie-o-neal/) Browse all 169 Group of friends quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“My conservative group of friends, whom I trusted through Lance, strangely accepted that we were gay and deep in the closet and suggested we consider rehabilitative therapy for our homosexual inclinations. 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