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 SAYS G OUT AS GAY WAS HIS 2ND 'MIRACLE'
• 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 ANNOUNC HE IS GAY AND IS DIVORCG HIS WIFE
• ELIZABETH SMART'S DAD, ED, FIRST TERVIEW SCE G OUT AS GAY: 'THERE IS NO CURE'
• ELIZABETH SMART IS 'GRATEFUL’ FOR KIDNAPPG AFTER DAD’S GAY NFSN
• ED SMART, FATHER OF KIDNAPPG SURVIVOR ELIZABETH SMART, OUT AS GAY
• ELIZABETH SMART'S DAD SCRIB HIS CHILDREN'S REACTN WHEN THEY FOUND OUT HE WAS GAY
• ELIZABETH SMART REVEALS SHE'S ‘GRATEFUL’ FOR KIDNAPPG AFTER DAD’S GAY CONFSN
• ED SMART, DAD OF KIDNAPPG SURVIVOR ELIZABETH SMART, SAYS THERE'S NO GAY 'CURE'
• ELIZABETH SMART’S FATHER ED COM OUT AS GAY AMID DIVORCE FROM WIFE LOIS

'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.

“And I went to my other church lear, and I said to him, ‘So am I gay? Am I gay?

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

'” 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.

Back Augt, Ed Smart announced to iends and fay, and later to the public, that he is gay.

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

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.

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

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. ' 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.

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.

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

His kids' reactns ranged om supportive to revealed some of his children reacted sayg: 'Well, dad, if you're gay, you're gay. But I do feel their love and I'm very grateful for that, ' Smart told host Gayle Kg. "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.

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

""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.

"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. 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.

"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. 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 IS 'GRATEFUL’ FOR KIDNAPPG AFTER DAD’S GAY NFSN

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.

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

"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 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.

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

""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. 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. 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.

ELIZABETH SMART REVEALS SHE'S ‘GRATEFUL’ FOR KIDNAPPG AFTER DAD’S GAY CONFSN

"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.

'"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.

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

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. ETElizabeth Smart revealed she is grateful for what was likely the most horrific experience of her life, has a lengthy Instagram post on Monday, Augt 26 – ls than two weeks after her father Ed Smart me out as gay – the kidnappg survivor admted that beg tortured and abed for ne months at the hands of Brian David Mchell and Wanda Barzee 2002 is now an experience she is thankful for.

”MORE ON:Lois SmartElizabeth Smart Shar Sweet First Photo Wh Dad Ed After His Gay ConfsnElizabeth Smart Supports Father Ed's Gay Confsn: 'I Didn't Come Home To Lose You''I'm Relieved': Elizabeth Smart's Father Adms He Knew He Was Gay Sce Age 12Article ntu below advertisementElizabeth shared a siar sentiment her Instagram reveal on Augt 26. Kidnappg survivor Elizabeth Smart’s father, Ed Smart, who me out as gay Augt when he announced he is divorcg his wife and leavg the Mormon church, has a msage: There is no cure for beg Smart, 64, of Utah, recently spoke publicly about g out to CBS’ Gayle Kg and at an LGBTQ youth event Lehi, ma msage is: There’s no cure for beg gay. ”“I wanted to be where God was, and the only way I uld do that was to stomp this part of me out, and I tried the bt to do that, and ’s not somethg that is curable, ” Smart told NBC said he once asked his therapist if he was gay, and the therapist told him no.

“I went to the temple three to four tim a week, tryg to squash that part of me out, and wasn’t until I had a change my belief that I fally realized, ‘No, the problem is that I’m gay, and I’m tryg to be straight, and that is where the problem occurs, ’” Smart a married father of six the Mormon Church, that was a hard pill to swallow. He said church lears advised him to supprs his homosexualy light of his succsful fay life. “At one pot, I said to my wife, ‘I really wish that I uld die now, ’ not that I was suicidal, but I thought that if I uld see God right now, I would feel like I would be able to answer for myself, and he would be acceptg of me based on what I had learned was acceptable, ” he said he was fahful to his wife throughout their slong marriage but was unable to ny his homosexualy.

ELIZABETH SMART’S FATHER ED COM OUT AS GAY AMID DIVORCE FROM WIFE LOIS

Gay people have no clear place this theology, and the church do not perform or accept same-sex marriag. ”But like many fai the Mormon Church, Smart started to notice that more and more people are g out as gay.

“There’s hardly any fay that you n go to that don’t have a relative that’s gay, ” Smart said.

”Smart me out, part he said, bee the church announced new l that allow for the baptism — th officially jog of the church — of the children of gay parents. ET): An earlier versn of this article misintified the work that Gayle Kg works for. Ed Smart, father of kidnappg survivor Elizabeth Smart, has e out as gay.