- Andrew Hartzler revealed that his parents once hired an “exorcist” to rid his room of supposed demons because they believed he was gay.
- In a TikTok video, Hartzler shared that his father attributed his homosexuality to a “demonic stronghold” on him.
- Hartzler recorded the exorcism secretly with hidden cameras.
A TikToker has shared a video wherein his parents summoned an “exorcist” to purge his room of the perceived demons that they believed were responsible for his homosexuality.
Andrew Hartzler, a 25-year-old who grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, was raised in a conservative evangelical religious sect called the International House of Prayer. Hartzler revealed that when he first came out as gay at the age of 14, his parents sent him to an anti-gay conversion camp.
Hartzler describes the experience as one of the darkest periods in his life, where he was taught self-hate and forced to suppress his true self. The constant mental and emotional strain was exhausting.
After completing the conversion camp, Hartzler was subjected to conversion therapy counseling three times a week throughout high school. In an attempt to isolate him from other gay individuals, his parents enrolled him in the conservative Christian Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
However, Hartzler discovered that he was not alone in his experiences, as many other students at the university faced similar challenges.
During his sophomore year’s Christmas break, Hartzler decided to come out to his parents once again, but this time it did not go well. He confessed to lying about being straight and expressed that he was unchangeably gay.
Sensing potential conflict upon returning to school, Hartzler secretly installed surveillance cameras in his room to monitor any intrusion into his personal belongings.
Hartzler’s parents enlisted the help of evangelist John Jacobs to perform the exorcism. Jacobs, known as the founder of The Power Team, a group of Christian bodybuilders who displayed their faith by tearing phone books and lifting weights, was called upon to rid Hartzler’s room of the perceived evil.
Hartzler wasn’t surprised that his parents resorted to such measures, as they consistently associated his homosexuality with demonic influences.
‘They believe being gay is something profoundly evil that has to be performed away by some ritual’
“My father believed that my identity crisis was a result of a ‘demonic stronghold’,” Hartzler recalled. “He always used that kind of language when discussing my sexuality.”
During the exorcism, Jacobs fervently commanded the supposed demons to leave in the name of Jesus.
Hartzler now works for Oklahomans for Equality, an LGBTQ rights group. In December, he garnered attention for publicly criticizing his aunt, Missouri state representative Vicki Hartzler, for her anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
Hartzler decided to share the video of the exorcism to shed light on right-wing Christian extremists who subject their children to such harmful practices. He emphasizes that these individuals view homosexuality as profoundly evil and believe that it can be eradicated through ritualistic interventions.
He no longer maintains a relationship with his parents and finally cut ties with them in April, stating that they prioritized their religion over their own son. Despite the emotional toll, he has found a sense of comfort and liberation in distancing himself from their harmful beliefs.
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