Famous as the founder of a non-profit organization called the Gay Christian Network, he is also notable for his 2009 documentary film Through My Eyes, as well as for his 2012 nonfiction work Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate.
Before beginning his activism work on behalf of young, gay Christians struggling to accept themselves and fit into their church communities, he attended North Carolina's Wake Forest University.
During his childhood years, he lost his hair and eyebrows as the result of an autoimmune condition known as alopecia areata.
He was raised in a conservative Christian household and struggled throughout his youth to reconcile his same-sex attraction with his fundamentalist Christian beliefs. He later resided in Orlando, Florida.
In 2006, he appeared on Dr Phil McGraw's popular talk show as a vocal opponent of the destructive practice of gay-to-straight "reparative" psychotherapy.
