Traitors star who faced conversion therapy backs UK ban: ‘You’re not broken’
Matthew is an LGBTQ+ contestant on The Traitors. (BBC)
Matty appeared on the 2026 series of The Traitors (Image: BBC)
Matthew “Matty” Hyndman has backed the Government’s draft Conversion Practices Bill, saying a ban on so-called conversion therapy in the UK would send a “clear signal” to LGBT+ people that they are “not broken”.
Speaking at an event in London while the draft bill was published on Thursday, the The Traitors contestant described the shame he felt growing up in an evangelical Christian environment. “I was so embarrassed that I was gay. I was so deeply embarrassed and ashamed, and I didn’t tell a soul. This was not something that I was willing to even utter, because as far as I was concerned, it was the worst sin,” he said.
Hyndman said he had been sailing on a ship around the world as an evangelical Christian missionary while he wrestled with his sexuality. When his sexuality became known, he said he faced an ultimatum: “I was basically given a choice to publicly repent in front of the entire ship’s community and agree to go through counselling, or go.”
He said leaving came with a heavy personal cost. “In order for me to walk away, in order for me to say no, there was such a huge risk,” he said. “The risk was that I would lose everyone I know and love. My vocation, my community, everything was so intertwined, particularly when you have a faith, it’s so intertwined.”
What the draft bill would do
The draft Conversion Practices Bill covers England and Wales and was published on Thursday following a Labour manifesto commitment from 2024. The Government described the proposed ban as “landmark”, saying it will protect LGBT+ people from “physical and psychological abuse to change who they are”.
The bill defines conversion practices as conduct that aims to change someone’s sexual orientation or transgender identity through abusive acts that seriously harm the victim, and carries heavy penalties for those carrying it out.
Why Hyndman says it matters
Hyndman said he considers himself “one of the lucky ones” because he was able to walk away. “For me to say no was for me to reject the belief of my entire community and walk away. And I did, thankfully. I consider myself one of the lucky ones because I did, I walked away, and I said ‘no, actually, I think I know who I am’,” he said.
He added: “I think it (a ban) just sends a really clear signal, as well… Anyone who is currently experiencing this, anyone who has, they’re hearing from the highest point that this is wrong and that it should not be happening to you. You’re not broken, you don’t need to be cured.”
Hyndman is originally from Northern Ireland and appeared at the Alliance Party conference in March to support their bid to ban conversion practices in the country.
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