Why I chose to put myself through the abuse of conversion therapy

It seemed like a lifeline that made utter sense but the abuse dragged me to hell and back, says Jayne Ozanne

I was hit with a bible and had people shout at ‘the devil inside me’ in the name of what they thought was kindness (Getty/iStock)

You’ll have just 45 seconds with him, so make them count!” I hardly slept the night before I met His Holiness, Pope Francis. Here was one man who could change the lives of millions of LGBT+ people around the world, so I needed to say something that would resonate and, perhaps more importantly, cause him to stop and reflect.

I had been invited by one of his close advisers to attend early morning mass at the Vatican, and I had been briefed that I would have a chance to speak with him briefly afterwards. To be honest, I knew that to the outside world the words we exchanged would be immaterial as our photograph together would be news in itself. But for real change to happen, I needed to say something that would strike a chord and somehow communicate the trauma that so many LGBT+ people face.

When my turn came, I walked forward and introduced myself: “Your Holiness, I’m Jayne Ozanne, a gay evangelical Anglican from England.” His eyebrows shot up. To be fair, I was unsure if it was the “gay” the “evangelical” or the “Anglican” bit that had surprised him – on reflection, it was probably all three. Unperturbed, I continued: