A gay man from Oklahoma says he was held down by a group of churchgoers who tried to pray away his sexuality — a disturbing claim that has sparked a police investigation.
At least a dozen congregants of First Assembly of God Church in Blackwell, Oklahoma, allegedly surrounded Sean Cormie and his boyfriend Sept. 8 — as the pastor railed against homosexuality, calling it a “sin, an abomination” and urging the couple to repent, KFOR-TV reported.
The religious mob pushed the boyfriend, Gary Garner, out of the building, but held down 23-year-old Cormie, he told the outlet.
“They hold me down, pin me down, and I’m crying, and the Holy Spirit just comes through me, and they keep speaking in tongues, praying over me,” Cormie said. “I was just crying, ‘Mercy, mercy.'”
When they finally let him go, Cormie filed a report with the Blackwell Police Department. Police Chief Dwayne Wood confirmed an investigation is ongoing.
Cormie, who came out as gay last spring, said he only went to the church because his mother had been pressuring him for months to attend.
“I wanted to go to church and make my mom proud,” he said.
The pastor of the Pentacostal church, Bill McKissick, and his wife, Tammi, posted a statement on the house of worship’s since-deleted Facebook page claiming there was “much more to the story.”
“This incident began as a family matter that escalated. Our church would never condone restraint of any person unless they were engaged in violent activity,” the McKissicks wrote in the since-deleted post.
“There is much more to this story, and we are cooperating fully with law enforcement to bring all of the facts to light as a rush to judgment is not in anyone’s best interest.”
Cormie said he and his boyfriend have been threatened to drop the investigation. But he wants the congregation to be held accountable for their alleged actions.“I love the pastors with all my heart, but what they did was totally wrong. I want some kind of consequences out of it,” he told the outlet. “I want it to be heard and known because it really saddens my heart.”
“I’m full-fledged gay, you can’t change it,” Cormie added. “It’s my nature. I’m born that way, so let it be.”