Ed Smart, Elizabeth Smart's father, reveals he is gay - CBS News

Contents:

• 'ABSOLUTELY NOT A CHOICE.' ELIZABETH SMART'S FATHER ON COMG OUT AS GAY, LEAVG MORMON CHURCH
• ELIZABETH SMART'S FATHER REVEALS HE HAS NOT SPOKEN TO HIS EX-WIFE SCE COMG OUT AS GAY
• ED SMART, ELIZABETH SMART'S FATHER, REVEALS HE IS GAY
• ELIZABETH SMART'S FATHER SAYS G OUT AS GAY WAS HIS 2ND 'MIRACLE'
• ELIZABETH SMART'S DAD SCRIB HIS CHILDREN'S REACTN WHEN THEY FOUND OUT HE WAS GAY
• ELIZABETH SMART'S DAD, ED, FIRST TERVIEW SCE G OUT AS GAY: 'THERE IS NO CURE'
• I DIDN’T WANT TO BE GAY, ED SMART TELLS LGBTQ NFERENCE
• ED SMART, FATHER OF ELIZABETH SMART, OUT AS GAY
• READ ED SMART’S LETTER ANNOUNCG HE IS GAY
• ED SMART, FATHER OF KIDNAPPG SURVIVOR ELIZABETH SMART, SAYS HE IS GAY
• ELIZABETH SMART'S FATHER ANNOUNC HE IS GAY AND IS DIVORCG HIS WIFE
• ED SMART, FATHER OF KIDNAPPG SURVIVOR ELIZABETH SMART, OUT AS GAY
• ED SMART, FATHER OF ELIZABETH SMART, COM OUT AS GAY
• ED SMART, FATHER OF ELIZABETH SMART, ANNOUNC HE IS GAY
• ED SMART TALKS ABOUT HIS CISN TO E OUT AS GAY
• ED SMART, FATHER OF KIDNAPPG SURVIVOR ELIZABETH SMART, REPORTEDLY SAYS HE IS GAY
• ELIZABETH SMART’S DAD, ED SMART, SAYS HE’S GAY, DIVORCG WIFE AND LEAVG CHURCH
• ED SMART, DAD OF KIDNAPPG SURVIVOR ELIZABETH SMART, SAYS THERE'S NO GAY 'CURE'

'ABSOLUTELY NOT A CHOICE.' ELIZABETH SMART'S FATHER ON COMG OUT AS GAY, LEAVG MORMON CHURCH

The 64-year-old Smart, who me out as gay Augt, told CBS This Morng that he stggled to accept himself after a lifetime of believg that beg attracted to men was “not acceptable. ” “I was prayg that I was not [gay].

“But how do you cure beg gay? ” Speakg wh CBS This Morng‘s Gayle Kg an terview airg parts this week, Smart said he spoke wh church lears while tryg to figure out his feelgs.

ELIZABETH SMART'S FATHER REVEALS HE HAS NOT SPOKEN TO HIS EX-WIFE SCE COMG OUT AS GAY

“And I went to my other church lear, and I said to him, ‘So am I gay? Am I gay? '” After fdg that he uld not supprs a very real part of himself, Smart cid he need to speak out so others n know that beg gay is not somethg that needs to be fixed.

ED SMART, ELIZABETH SMART'S FATHER, REVEALS HE IS GAY

"December 10th, my wife asked me ‘are you gay? "Elizabeth said to me, 'dad whether you're gay or not, I want you my life, '" he relled.

Ed Smart, the father of kidnappg survivor Elizabeth Smart, has e out as gay. ""I wish to share the news that I have recently acknowledged to myself and my fay that I am gay, " wrote Smart. Earlier this year, the church officials said gay marriage is no longer a s that would rult beg dismissed om the church.

ELIZABETH SMART'S FATHER SAYS G OUT AS GAY WAS HIS 2ND 'MIRACLE'

"As an openly gay man, the Church is not a place where I fd solace any longer, " he wrote. "Acknowledgg I am a gay man, is eeg but also hurts many of those whom I love very much, " he wrote. The father of kidnappg survivor Elizabeth Smart was spotted embracg a male pann, markg the first time he has been seen public wh a man sce g out as gay, exclive photos sgle Ed Smart may already be off the market after he was seen huggg the unintified man outsi a Starbucks the Sugarhoe area of Salt Lake Cy, Utah, on Saturday.

The 64-year-old announced Augt 2019 that he was gay and leavg the Mormon Church, as well as divorcg his wife Lois after 34 years of marriage.

ELIZABETH SMART'S DAD SCRIB HIS CHILDREN'S REACTN WHEN THEY FOUND OUT HE WAS GAY

' Ed Smart was seen huggg a male pann outsi a Starbucks Salt Lake Cy, Utah on Saturday, exclive photos show The 64-year-old mentned prev terviews that he was datg, but the are the first pictur of Smart wh a man sce he announced he was gay.

An eyewns told 'Ed really looked happy wh the guy' Smart announced Augt 2019 he was gay and was divorcg his wife, Lois after 34 years of marriage and leavg the Mormon Church.

ELIZABETH SMART'S DAD, ED, FIRST TERVIEW SCE G OUT AS GAY: 'THERE IS NO CURE'

He returned to the spotlight Augt when he announced he was gay, would be divorcg his wife of 34 years and leavg the Mormon Church. They were very touchy-feely, ' the eyewns said'Somehow, this person I've loved my whole life thks I'm a horrible person, that really tears me', ' Smart told host Gayle Kg on CBS This Morng December. ' But Louis nonted him four years ago and asked him, 'Ed, are you gay?

I said, you know, "Your mother and I are gettg a divorce and I'm gay, "' Smart said. His kids' reactns ranged om supportive to revealed some of his children reacted sayg: 'Well, dad, if you're gay, you're gay.

I DIDN’T WANT TO BE GAY, ED SMART TELLS LGBTQ NFERENCE

But I do feel their love and I'm very grateful for that, ' Smart told host Gayle Kg. Back Augt, Ed Smart announced to iends and fay, and later to the public, that he is gay. ”Smart me out to his then-wife December 2018, when she asked him if he was gay.

“Do my beg gay mean that I’m gog to be ls of a person, that I’m not gog to be that good person that I’ve tried to be all my life?

ED SMART, FATHER OF ELIZABETH SMART, OUT AS GAY

Elizabeth Smart's dad scrib his children's reactn when they found out he was gay. Ed Smart: One police theory for dghter's abductn was blackmail "bee I was gay". Now he's sharg his own our exclive terview, Smart reveals how difficult was to e out as gay to his fay and iends – and how 's affected his relatnship wh his Smart, father of Elizabeth Smart: "There is no cure" for beg gay "The thg about is I never looked at myself as beg gay.

READ ED SMART’S LETTER ANNOUNCG HE IS GAY

I know this sounds crazy, " Smart told "CBS This Morng" -host Gayle Kg. "The thg is, when a child go missg, the first on that they have to look at is the fay, " Smart explaed one of the theori police had about Elizabeth's abductn: "They potentially thought that somebody was blackmailg me… bee I was gay. "That somehow I was havg this gay affair, which was absolutely not, " Smart said.

"I said, you know, 'Your mother and I are gettg a divorce and I'm gay. "He reunted the children's reactns ranged between "Well, dad, if you're gay, you're gay.

ED SMART, FATHER OF KIDNAPPG SURVIVOR ELIZABETH SMART, SAYS HE IS GAY

'"About four years ago, Smart said his wife asked him an unexpected qutn: "Ed, are you gay? ""But wasn't your choice to be gay, you're sayg?

"It was not my choice to be gay. And to those who say, "Ed, you have a problem, " Smart said: "I would say that my problem was that I was tryg to be straight when I was gay.

Seventeen years after his dghter Elizabeth's high-profile kidnappg and rcue, Ed Smart spoke Monday of his stggle to e out as a gay man.

ELIZABETH SMART'S FATHER ANNOUNC HE IS GAY AND IS DIVORCG HIS WIFE

This is absolutely not a choice, " Smart said, sobbg an terview wh Gayle Kg on "CBS This Morng. I wish that, more than anythg, ” said Smart, who scribed his plited and nflicted relatnship wh his lifelong Mormon fah and his sexualy – and the fallout that took place after g me out as gay Augt a Facebook post to iends and fay, nfirmg to Utah media that he wrote the post. ”In Augt:Ed Smart, father of kidnappg survivor Elizabeth Smart, out as gayHe said he went to therapists and church lears, hopg they would provi answers to his anxiety over his Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats changed s ntroversial l toward LGBTQ people  April, no longer banishg same-sex upl and allowg them to baptize their children to the fah.

Smart, 64, said that not only didn’t he want to be gay, but he was “homophobic” about .

He said he has sce e to believe he was born gay.

ED SMART, FATHER OF KIDNAPPG SURVIVOR ELIZABETH SMART, OUT AS GAY

I wanted be fahful and do all those thgs that would enable me to be a place that was the bt place that I uld be, whether was beg the bt person I uld be here on Earth or whether was beg the bt place the hereafter, ” he said was a year ago this month durg a discsn about the church wh his wife, Lois, that she asked him if he was gay. The suatn is I’m gay and I’m tryg to be straight.

Smart, a father of six children, said he talked to church lears and a therapist who told him he wasn’t gay.

“There are two people who know that I am gay. ” Smart said he ma early morng phone lls to each of his children the day after he me out to his wife, tellg them he was gay and gettg a divorce.

ED SMART, FATHER OF ELIZABETH SMART, COM OUT AS GAY

”While he agonized over tellg his mother that he is gay, his wife beat him to , “which blew me away, ” Smart said. "I have recently acknowledged to myself and my fay that I am gay. "As an openly gay man, the Church is not a place where I fd solace any longer, " he wrote the letter.

"If they were to ph me to do so, I would [leave], " he the Mormon Church softened some of s anti-LGBTQ polici this year, such as no longer barrg the children of same-sex upl om baptism, is still antigay many rpects. Ed announced he is gay on Aug. 15, 2019 and says he will be leavg his Smart, the father of kidnappg survivor Elizabeth Smart, me out as gay Thursday, sendg a letter g Facebook Msenger to fay and iends that mentned that he plans to separate om his wife and no longer feels fortable The Church of J Christ of Latter-day Smart nfirmed he sent and posted publicly on Friday.

[Read more: Ed Smart talks about his cisn to e out as gay]When asked about the matter through a fay spokperson, Elizabeth Smart didn’t specifilly addrs her father’s sexual orientatn.

ED SMART, FATHER OF ELIZABETH SMART, ANNOUNC HE IS GAY

"Smart add: “As an openly gay man, the church is not a place where I fd solace any longer. Smart was rcued ne months later while walkg along a street Sandy wh kidnappers Brian David Mchell and Mchell’s wife, Wanda then, Elizabeth Smart and Ed Smart have been well-regard child-safety advot who work through the Elizabeth Smart is the send notable Utahn to e out as gay this summer. Utah County Commissner Nathan Ivie, a Republin, announced he was gay a vio posted to his Facebook page Smart, Ivie said he’d been fightg wh himself about his sexualy for years and had fally e to accept himself.

ED SMART TALKS ABOUT HIS CISN TO E OUT AS GAY

When that happens, each of be better than we were is wh this same spir that I wish to share the news that I have recently acknowledged to myself and my fay that I am gay. Others have said, “you’re givg up so much for so ltle, and you know how the Lord feels about gays, ” they have nclud that I’ve chosen to waste my remag years by leavg behd some rich and amazg gifts. Acknowledgg I am a gay man is eeg but also hurts many of those whom I love very much.

ED SMART, FATHER OF KIDNAPPG SURVIVOR ELIZABETH SMART, REPORTEDLY SAYS HE IS GAY

Had I not had a change my beliefs, I would have likely remaed closeted the rt of my an openly gay man, the Church is not a place where I fd solace any longer.

Ed Smart, whose dghter Elizabeth Smart was abducted 2002, has announced that he is gay but says he is not leavg the Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats.

ELIZABETH SMART’S DAD, ED SMART, SAYS HE’S GAY, DIVORCG WIFE AND LEAVG CHURCH

Ed Smart, the father of kidnappg survivor and child safety activist Elizabeth Smart, has announced he is gay, divorcg his wife, and leavg The Church of J Christ of Latter-day, 64, who has also served as a child safety advote for years through his dghter's foundatn, announced the emotnal cisn to fay and iends a Facebook msage on Thursday.

ED SMART, DAD OF KIDNAPPG SURVIVOR ELIZABETH SMART, SAYS THERE'S NO GAY 'CURE'

"It is wh this same spir that I wish to share the news that I have recently acknowledged to myself and my fay that I am gay, '' he wrote. "As an openly gay man, the Church is not a place where I fd solace any longer, '' he wrote.

Ed Smart, the father of kidnappg survivor Elizabeth Smart, me out as gay a letter to fay and iends posted to Facebook, and said he and his wife are separatg, lol media Utah nfirmed to the Deret News and Salt Lake Tribune that he wrote the letter but cled to ment further. ""I have recently acknowledged to myself and my fay that I am gay, " the letter stat, per the Deret News.

While he don't "fd solace any longer" wh the Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats, Smart said his fah is still church recently changed s teachg on same-sex upl, sayg that gay marriage will no longer be nsired a s worthy of expulsn and that LGBTQ parents n have their children same-sex teachg:Mormons to allow baptisms for children of LGBTQ parents, won't expel those same-sex marriagThe reversal me April, four years after the Church of J Christ of Latter-day Sats said those same-sex relatnships were “apostat’’ who mt be banished om the church's change doctre, however, did not reverse s opposn to gay marriage and still regards same-sex relatnships as a “ser transgrsn.