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A man from Leicester who says he was a victim of conversion therapy is urging other survivors to come forward.

Conversion therapy is a way of suppressing sexual orientation or gender identity.

Sylvester Harrison-Moran says the abuse happened when he was part of St Thomas Philadelphia Church in Sheffield more than 15 years ago.

Ady sat down with Sylvester to hear his story

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Statement from Network Church Sheffield:
"We are saddened to learn of this person's experience of being part of the church over 10 years ago. The church is now under different leadership. The experiences he has described raise significant concerns about past practice, which we are determined to review and learn from. We continue with our commitment to be a kind and generous congregation working to serve all the people of Sheffield."

Diocese of Sheffield – reviewing church
The Diocese is expecting the first part of a two-stage review it commissioned in 2022 to be finalised before Christmas. We await the recommendations of the final complete report in the New Year before considering what further actions may be necessary. We recognise how difficult it is for victims and survivors of abuse to come forward and urge anyone affected by this to contact our Safeguarding Team (safeguarding@sheffield.anglican.org) where concerns will be heard in confidence.
The Diocese of Sheffield believes, along with the wider Church of England, that conversion therapy is unethical, potentially harmful and has no place in the modern world.

Details of organisations that can provide support with issues relating to sexuality or gender, mental health, or feelings of despair are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

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