When 16-year-old Austin Murphy's parents arranged for conversion therapy sessions to help combat his burgeoning homosexuality, the gay teen was skeptical but now says the practice is working because he's no longer interested in dating other boys.
Before the therapy, Austin says he was just coming to terms with who he was and was ready to explore his identity. But now that he hates himself, Austin says his attraction to men isn't nearly as strong as it once was. "I'm so depressed and totally addicted to drugs that I just don't have the time to love or commit myself to another person," said a sniffling Austin as he tightly rolled up a dollar bill.
Given that gay conversion therapy has been rejected by all major medical and mental health organizations for decades, Austin was surprised that his sessions actually led him to sexually experiment with women. "Who knew so many girls would give me drugs in exchange for sex," said the cocaine-dependent teen.
Alice Murphy, the self-loathing teen's mother, said she's "so proud" of her son for finding it in his heart to be who she wants him to be. Alice admitted that she does indeed miss her son's sobriety along with his smile, yet she cherishes the fact that "at least he's now a more normal boy."
News of Austin's success from gay conversion therapy has been met with praise by many GOP leaders who stressed the importance of pseudoscience and the right of parents to thrust their children into such controversial and psychologically harmful practices when outlining their party's platform ahead of the Republican National Convention.
One delegate called Austin's story "an inspiration," while adding that the young teen is a "trailblazer for all those kids who may be hesitant or uncomfortable about denying who they truly are."
Austin was invited to speak at the convention, however, at press time his whereabouts were completely unknown with no credible leads whatsoever. The Republican National Convention takes place from July 18th to July 21st in Cleveland, Ohio.