ex-gay

Etymology

From ex- +‎ gay.

Adjective

ex-gay (not comparable)

1. (pseudoscience) Of or pertaining to the movement that considers homosexuality a disease and claims it can be cured by conversion therapy.
   • 2003 January 1, Casey Sanchez, “Memphis Area Love In Action Offers Residential Program to "Cure" Homosexuality”, in Southern Poverty Law Center:

     Ex-gay ministries began as redoubts for men and women trying to reconcile their faith and sexuality.

   • 2012 April 11, Gabriel Arana, “My So-Called Ex-Gay Life”, in The American Prospect:

     Instead of fire-and-brimstone denunciations from the pulpit, the ex-gay movement allowed the Christian right to couch its condemnation of homosexuality in a way that seemed compassionate.

   • 2019 September 6, Jonathan Merritt, “The ex-gay Christianity movement is making a quiet comeback. The effects on LGBTQ youth could be devastating.”, in The Washington Post:

     For two decades, McKrae Game was a top-tier figure among ex-gay Christians and a leading advocate for conversion therapy, a counseling practice with the goal of helping LGBTQ people suppress their homosexuality and become "straight."

Noun

ex-gay (plural ex-gays)

1. (pseudoscience, especially in the plural) A person who considers themselves or is considered by others to be no longer homosexual, usually due to conversion therapy.

Further reading

• ex-gay movement on Wikipedia.Wikipedia