Viral star Lohanthony was known for being open about his sexuality online in a time where it wasn’t so accepted. But in a disturbing turn of events, the star has returned to YouTube with a series of videos seemingly promoting conversion therapy, with Tyler Oakley making an entire video dedicated to the return.
Anthony “Lohanthony” Quintal became known on the internet for his zany personality, going viral with a video of him twirling his leg saying “calling all the basic b*tches.” He gained a decent amount of traction on the video platform Vine as a younger teen.
After a few years of relative silence, the now 21-year-old returned in late August, but not as the same Anthony people remembered him as. In his first video uploaded on August 18 entitled “why Christ? My testimony to Jesus,” he announced that he’d been “feeling a shift in his life for a while” and that “Jesus found him.”
i was watching a lohanthony vine compilation and i just can’t believe he went from this to where he is now. pic.twitter.com/LrEykjz8YG
— gage ! has moved to @antihopefui (@moonhazes) August 22, 2020
In a later video entitled “Jesus delivers: surviving sexuality,” Anthony goes into detail about his relationship with his sexuality now saying, “it’s no coincidence that through pursuing my same-sex attraction, I was also addicted to alcohol, I was also addicted to weed.”
The 40-minute long video that has garnered over 130,000 views now has more dislikes than it has likes, and a video of him reading some scriptures a week later has an even worse like to dislike ratio, the comments now disabled.
(Warning: video discusses sensitive topics)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RabRG9cYQ78
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YouTuber and LGBTQ+ activist Tyler Oakley was compelled to make a whole video about the distressing subject matter on September 1, titled “Calling All the Anti-Gay B*tches” in reference to Anthony’s viral video.
“I did not see Lohanthony denouncing being gay on my 2020 bingo card, but here we are,” he said. “Lohanthony was one of the early super-gay, unapologetically himself influencers.”
Tyler described the situation as “complicated” and said that “to equate all of same-sex attraction to sin, or something that needs to be withheld or repressed, is playing into the exact approach of anti-gay people.”
While he expressed that he would not usually give a situation like this air time, he explained that the existence of many US states which have yet to ban conversion therapy, and a vice-president who supports it means that it is “life or death” situation for LGBTQ+ kids across the country, and needs to be addressed. He does say that “his heart breaks” for the young star.
Lohanthony has yet to respond to Tyler’s comments.
