How Living With A Foster Family Landed This Lesbian In 'Ex-Gay' Conversion Therapy

In an interview with HuffPost Live this week, FosterClub member Emily Brunelle recalled how living with foster parents in lieu of her biological family prompted her to end up in "reparative," or "ex-gay," therapy.

"I had some great foster parents, but the struggle had always been that I was in a religious family that was accepting of me for the most part, but I didn't feel like I could ever safely come out as a lesbian," Brunelle, who grew up in Casper, Wyoming, recalled. "It was very clear to me where they stood on that."

Brunelle, whose biological mother identifies as transgender, said the experience "really left me in a place of wondering how do I be myself safely and get to love the person that I want to love, or the people that I want to love, and still have the family and support that I need to survive?"

FosterClub is an advocacy organization aimed at keeping young people in foster care "connected, educated, inspired and represented so they can realize their personal potential and contribute to a better life for their peers."