YouTuber Lohanthony was once an openly gay internet star. Now, he's an advocate for Christian celibacy, an ideological cousin of conversion therapy.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>YouTuber Anthony Quintal, better known as <keyword id="2998911" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lohanthony">Lohanthony</keyword>, has shocked followers with his new commitment to "Christian celibacy" as he turns his previously pro-LGBTQ channel toward Jesus Christ. </li><li>Quintal, 21, who came out as gay as a teenager, returned to <keyword id="10879" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="YouTube">YouTube</keyword> to clarify his previous videos and deny suggestions that he participated in or is encouraging conversion therapy. </li><li>"I support abandoning consuming lusts, both homosexual and heterosexual alike," Quintal said, but conversion therapy experts told Insider his rhetoric still stigmatizes gay relationships. </li></ul><p>After fans expressed concern over <a href="https://www.insider.com/lohanthony-gay-christian-celibacy-conversion-therapy-what-happened-anthony-quintal-2020-8">Anthony Quintal seemingly abrupt shift towards a celibate Christian lifestyle</a>, the 21-year-old YouTuber said in a new video that his beliefs are not anti-gay, and that he's abandoning his gay <keyword id="15482" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="lifestyle">lifestyle</keyword> to pursue God, but not out of homophobia. </p><p>"I apologize for the hurt I caused with my videos regarding my celibacy, regarding my sobriety, regarding being saved by Lord Jesus Christ," said Quintal, better known by his username Lohanthony. "I hope you can forgive me if my words offended you in any way."</p><p>As a teen, Quintal was a beloved openly gay YouTuber known for his pop <keyword id="24504" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="culture">culture</keyword> commentary, liberal politics, and for inspiring young LGBTQ fans worldwide, gaining over 1.3 million subscribers at his peak.</p><div type="image" title="Lohanthony" height="509" width="923" msid="77792175" hostid="261"></div><p>Now, Quintal has surprised those followers with a very public shift in his branding. In one August 21 YouTube video, Quintal said that he would no longer have relationships with men. Quintal had previously come out as gay in a YouTube video that has since been made private on his channel. </p><p>"It's no coincidence that through pursuing my same-sex attraction I was also addicted to alcohol, I was also addicted to weed, I was also trying hallucinogenics, I was also addicted to money, I was also addicted to views, I was addicted to attention," Quintal said. </p><p>Quintal's rhetoric, which conflated his addiction issues with his gay relationships, concerned LGBTQ advocates. Mathew Shurka, co-founder of the anti-conversion therapy advocacy organization <a href="http://bornperfect.org/">Born Perfect</a>, told Insider at the time that Quintal's language was "dangerous" for young gay people discovering their sexuality. </p><p>"It's incredibly dangerous and it's so upsetting," said Shurka, who is himself a survivor of a conversion therapy program. "That scares me, because a lot of teenagers to 20-something-year-olds are definitely watching him." </p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBY5dqbAkMa" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"></a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by lohanthony (@lohanthony)<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-06-13T20:40:46+00:00">Jun 13, 2020 at 1:40pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><p>In his new video, Quintal said he did not mean to condemn gay relationships. "I support abandoning consuming lusts, both homosexual and heterosexual alike. No person is safe from lusting over whoever we're attracted to, both single or in marriage," he said. </p><p>Previously, Matthew Vines, an expert in 'ex-gay' Christian rhetoric, <a href="https://www.insider.com/lohanthony-gay-christian-celibacy-conversion-therapy-what-happened-anthony-quintal-2020-8">told Insider</a> that Quintal's video echoed a new wave of conservative Christian thought that encourages Christians to pursue celibacy or mixed-orientation marriages instead of same-sex attraction and same-sex partnerships. </p><p>Vines, the director of an LGBTQ Christian inclusion non-profit called The Reformation Project, said Quintal associated negative experiences like childhood sexual trauma, drug addiction, and addiction to social media fame with same-sex attraction, a justification for "Christian celibacy" that <a href="https://www.insider.com/lohanthony-gay-christian-celibacy-conversion-therapy-what-happened-anthony-quintal-2020-8">echoes the rhetoric</a> of conversion therapy. </p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CEPr5AignFb" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">“I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭9:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ ☆ above is one of the verses shared in my testimony to Christ ... i shared my call to celibacy and sobriety well aware the majority would not understand. i shared my story with the hope that even just *one* person feeling stuck, hopeless, empty and unfulfilled by earthly pleasures could hear how Jesus fills and how His love overflows. Jesus is one name but He uplifts our lives in a multitude of ways. He helped me overcome lust, addiction and disappointment ... with Him, i am always satisfied. thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement. i hold my brothers and sisters in Christ close to my heart ... and i am praying that we never forget God’s promise to remain here with us. i pray we can all see that nobody is excluded from salvation through Christ, and i pray we can all come to Him and place our past at His feet. God bless </a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by  lohanthony (@lohanthony) on Aug 23, 2020 at 1:23pm PDT<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-08-23T20:23:11+00:00">Aug 23, 2020 at 1:23pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1542305017693245">One study in 2017 documented</a> the trend of "Christian celibacy," finding that many gay Christian men chose a life of celibacy in lieu of same-sex relationships.</p><p>Having watched Quintal's follow-up video, Vines says that while he's "softened his rhetoric," Quintal is still describing that same-sex attraction as a problem, even if he seems to equate same-sex lust with heterosexual lust. </p><p>"Many conservative Christians view all same-sex relationships as 'consuming lusts," Vines told Insider. "As a result, they believe that avoiding lust for straight people means getting married, but for gay people, it means lifelong singleness and celibacy."</p><p>Vines says that if Quintal believes those in same-sex relationships can honor God in the same way heterosexual relationships can, "he should make that clear." </p><p>"Unfortunately, nothing in this new video contradicts his earlier stigmatization of all same-sex relationships," Vines told Insider.</p><p>However, after watching Quintal's new video, Shurka told Insider that he's glad the YouTuber has at least rebuked the practice of conversion therapy. "I'm happy to see that Anthony clearly condemns conversion therapy. I think that it is especially important for his younger followers," he said. </p><p>Quintal has not responded to Insider's request for comment.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/lohanthony-gay-christian-celibacy-conversion-therapy-what-happened-anthony-quintal-2020-8">YouTuber Lohanthony was once an openly gay internet star. Now, he's an advocate for Christian celibacy, an ideological cousin of conversion therapy.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/ffactor-diet-health-problems-emily-gellis-tanya-zuckerbrot-2020-8">Women claim they experienced hair loss, gastrointestinal distress, and eating disorders while following the F-Factor diet. The founder says it's an anti-diet campaign to ruin her.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/qanon-violence-crime-conspiracy-theory-us-allegation-arrest-killing-gun-2020-8">QAnon conspiracy theorists have been linked to a killing and multiple armed stand-offs. Here are the criminal allegations connected to the movement and its followers.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/jeffree-star-boyfriend-picture-basketball-player-andre-marhold-2020-8">The mystery man in Jeffree Star's steamy Instagram was identified as a basketball player, and Star insists he's not paying him</a></li></ul>

YouTuber Lohanthony said that he didn't go to conversion therapy and defended 'Christian celibacy' in a new video. Experts say his rhetoric could still be cause for concern.

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/542ecc8869bedd1e5189a609-640-360/lohanthony-leading.jpg" border="0" alt="lohanthony leading"><p class="source"><span>YouTube</span></p><p class="caption">At 15, Anthony Quintal (aka Lohanthony) is one of YouTube's biggest celebrities.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Monica Quintal remembers the moment she knew her son was a bona fide "internet celebrity."</p>
<p>"We were at the mall near our house," Quintal, who lives in Methuen, Massachusetts, told Business Insider. "It was about two years ago. I think Anthony tweeted that he was trying on suits at a store."</p>
<p>What happened next still makes the mother of 15-year-old Anthony laugh. </p>
<p>"Twenty minutes later, I see 11 girls running down the escalator and into whatever department store we were in. I was like, 'Is Justin Bieber here or something?' But they were trying to find my son!" she said.</p>
<p>Anthony, a Britney Spears fan, makes videos from his home for his<span> 1.4 million followers on Twitter and 1.3 million subscribers on his YouTube channel. Every week there's a new vlog-type video (an autotuned "Lohanthony's video of theeee weeeeeeeeek" plays before each video.)</span></p>
<p><iframe width="853" height="480" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Y8rLjUD2Coo"></iframe></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>Quintal</span>, a mother of four, said she first knew her son was making videos for YouTube when he was 10 years old, noting that he found a community of friends who would meet offline and hang out. </span></p>
<p>At first, she admits, the idea that her young son making YouTube videos for the world made her nervous. But she got to know the parents of the other kids, and said it was a great alternative to the friendships made at school, of which Anthony had many.</p>
<p>No different than summer camp or a sport, YouTube was Anthony's extracurricular activity. </p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/542ed2276bb3f78f795c0cbb-923-509/screen shot 2014-10-03 at 12.41.12 pm.png" border="0" alt="Lohanthony" style="line-height: 1.5em;"><p class="source"><span>YouTube</span></p><p class="caption">Anthony and his mom, Monica, in one of Anthony's YouTube videos.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The biggest concern came when his videos - like his parody of a Nikki Minaj video - started making the rounds on the internet, showing up on popular websites like World Star Hip Hop. </span></p>
<p>"Some of the comments were terrible and so mean. This is a child!" his mom explained to Business Insider. </p>
<p>But she remembered that Anthony didn't care. From a young age, Anthony's whole personal brand has revolved around loving his "haters." He loved all the comments he was getting, even the less-than-kind ones.</p>
<p>And lots of the comments, it has to be said, were those of support for the young star-on-the-rise.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5418ce6f6bb3f7a72e082084-926-510/screen shot 2014-09-16 at 7.57.13 pm.png" border="0" alt="Lohanthony"><p class="source"><span>YouTube</span></p><p class="caption">Anthony's videos are usually just him talking to his fans about whatever pops into his mind. And the fans love it.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>A few years later, Anthony is your average teenager, except h<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">e makes lots of money via ad revenue, and, under the representation of Fullscreen talent management, shows up to events where girls are screaming their heads off as he walks from room to room, taking selfies and signing the backs of iPhone cases.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">He's no longer in public school, and really wants to move to LA, he told Business Insider, but his mom has some other ideas for now, and a lot of them have to do with keeping Anthony grounded.</span></p>
<p><span>Quintal</span> says she's a mother first - and Anthony's a kid first - before anything else.</p>
<p>"Anthony is my child, but I have three other children, two of them younger than Anthony. I have to make sure he doesn't get special treatment," <span>Quintal</span> told Business Insider. </p>

We Talked To 15-Year-Old Lohanthony's Mother About What It's Like To Raise A Massive YouTube Celebrity

<p>A parent so desperate to help her young daughter get in front of YouTube celebrity "Lohanthony" offered me $500 for my meet-and-greet admission card this past weekend at an event called inTOUR. The pair had traveled 9 hours to see the 15-year-old Bostonian teen with millions of followers on Twitter and YouTube.</p>
<p>InTOUR (basically a big YouTube stars convention) was held in Pasadena, California and I attended on behalf of Business Insider.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">About a dozen teens and 20-somethings were there to entertain thousands of their fans who had purchased tickets to attend. The "stars" - all with millions of followers and subscribers on all social media channels - performed skits, sang songs, and told jokes. </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The crowd, all 13 and 14-year-old girls, screamed wildly every time their idols appeared on stage.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5418cae26da81134465cd2f8-1082-667/screen shot 2014-09-16 at 7.41.28 pm.png" border="0" alt="InTOUR"><p class="source"><span>Getty/Fullscreen</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Each ticket for a minor came with complimentary admission for a parent or guardian. And as the girls screamed and shrieked and gasped and yes, even cried tears of overwhelming joy, the parents stood back and watched, somewhat bewildered by their daughters' ability to lose it over a shaggy-haired boy the majority of the world had never heard of.</span></span></p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5418ad1d6da811967e5cd2f8-677-718/screen shot 2014-09-16 at 5.34.16 pm.png" border="0" alt="InTOUR" width="622" height="660" style="color: #000000;"><p class="source"><span>Twitter/InTour</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></p>
<p>VIP ticket holders were able to attend a meet-and-greet with all of the stars. Lots of selfies were taken and hugs were given.</p>
<p>This is JC Caylen (and a fan) on the right. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/jccaylen">He has over 700,000 subscribers on YouTube and 1.6mm followers on Twitter. </a></p>
<p>VIP ticket holders were thrilled to get to meet all of their idols. Most of them came to see one or two people in particular.</p>
<p>But the team that put on the event had a special surprise for general admission ticket holders. Those folks would have the opportunity to participate in a meet-and-greet with just one of the YouTube stars.</p>
<p>Each guest would receive a card at random with the photo of the YouTube celebrity they would be able to meet. The phrase "you get what you get and you don't get upset" was the hope of those handing out the cards.</p>
<p>These were the cards.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5418aac4ecad046e7174ce89-750-562/unnamed-146.jpg" border="0" alt="InTOUR"><p class="source"><span>Caroline Moss</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Unfortunately, some girls didn't get the card that they had hoped for.</span></p>
<p>There were tears. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Gulpy, sad, hormonal, depressing tears. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Some of the parents looked helpless, while others disciplined their kids.</span></p>
<p>At one point, I walked out of the press room to find two police officers talking to a bunch of girls who were all crying. One of the staff members at the Pasadena Convention Center told me that they were being scolded for "pushing each other to get to a girl who was offering to trade her JC Caylen card for a Ricky Dillon card."</p>
<p>It was all we could do to not grin at the ridiculousness of it all, b<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">ut this was the new world we were inserting ourselves in. Anything goes.</span></p>
<p>Eventually, the cards had to be taken away and hidden in a press room. I walked in to talk to some of the staff of the team putting on the event, a company called Fullscreen. When I told them I was interested in writing a story about the cards, they handed me a pile of them. </p>
<p>"I won't trade them on the black market," I joked. </p>
<p>But when I walked out of the room, a mom approached me, asking if I would be willing to give her my "Lohanthony" card for $500. I explained that I was press and using the cards for a story and couldn't sell them to her. She pleaded with me.</p>
<p>Her daughter, 13, was a huge fan of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DcM1NSpn94">Lohanthony, who, at 15, has already gained fame across so many social media channels.</a> Lohanthony, who's real name is Anthony Quintal, told Business Insider in an interview later that day that he started making vlogs to help people feel comfortable with being who they were.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5418ce6f6bb3f7a72e082084-926-510/screen shot 2014-09-16 at 7.57.13 pm.png" border="0" alt="Lohanthony"><p class="source"><span>YouTube</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"I was bullied so much in middle school," Quintal explained to me. "I wish there had been something online for me to watch and help me deal with that. That's what I want to be to other people."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Indeed, that's what he was for this woman's daughter, a young girl who had been having some hard times adjusting to life in 7th grade. The mom explained how much she wanted and needed the card, and told me her offer of $500 still stood if I changed my mind.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Eventually a Fullscreen staffer helped make a meet-and-greet between the teenager and Lohanthony happen.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Getting to meet my favorite YouTubers is cool because like, you learn that they are human, just like we are," a teen named Alissa told me as she waited in line to see her favorite YouTube singer, Sam Tsui.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"The guys feel like our friends instead of celebrities. But they're so much cuter than most of the boys I know," she added.</span></p>

You Searched For "anthony quintal" and got 4 results

YouTuber Lohanthony was once an openly gay internet star. Now, he's an advocate for Christian celibacy, an ideological cousin of conversion therapy.

Rachel E. Greenspan,Kat Tenbarge

YouTuber Lohanthony said that he didn't go to conversion therapy and defended 'Christian celibacy' in a new video. Experts say his rhetoric could still be cause for concern.

Rachel E. Greenspan,Kat Tenbarge

We Talked To 15-Year-Old Lohanthony's Mother About What It's Like To Raise A Massive YouTube Celebrity

Caroline Moss

A Desperate Parent Offered Me $500 So Her Kid Could Meet A YouTube Star

Caroline Moss