John J. Smid is the former director of the Memphis, Tennessee ex-gay ministry Love in Action, a group that claims to convert lesbians and gay men to heterosexuality.
[1] During his time directing Love in Action, Smid faced controversy over the organization's treatment of gay teens in their youth program "Refuge".
"[5] In 2012, Smid wrote and self-published the memoir Ex'd Out: How I Fired the Shame Committee.
Before claiming he had changed from homosexuality to heterosexuality, Smid lived for years married to a woman and fathering children.
Four years following his divorce, Smid became a Christian and sought conversion from homosexuality to heterosexuality.