‘Sister Wives’ Star Gay Conflict: Mariah Brown Reveals How She Became Homophobic By Burying Her Feelings Amid Growing Support From Her Fans
Sister Wives star Mariah Brown recently opened up about how her own internal gay conflict caused her to become homophobic when she was really just struggling with her own sexuality.
Per PEOPLE, Sister Wives star Mariah Brown’s struggle with her own internal gay conflict stemmed from the fact that she grew up as a devout fundamentalist Mormon in a polygamous family. Because the Sister Wives star was so terrified of becoming gay, she became a self-proclaimed homophobe instead.
“It was something I was so scared of in myself,” the Sister Wives star revealed to PEOPLE. “If you were to ask me my biggest fear, it would have been to be gay.”
When the Sister Wives star was just a child living in the state of Utah, her church had a very clear stance on homosexuality, which was that it was wrong.
“I remember being in church, and they talked about how being gay was bad,” she recalled as she thinks about her childhood in Utah.
“But none of that came from my parents. It was from church and the people I was around. One bishop told me gay people were selfish.”
In order to cope with the fact that she attended a church and was surrounded by people who believed homosexuality was wrong, the Sister Wives star did the best she could to bury her gay feelings.
“People say they try to ‘pray away the gay,’ but I wouldn’t even let myself think the word,” she says. “I just wouldn’t even go there.”
Thanks to her internal gay conflict, the Sister Wives star struggled with sleepless nights and panic attacks. It was not until she was a high school senior, and she started touring colleges for her future that she had a life changing revelation. During a tour of one of the colleges, Mariah Brown encountered a guide who was gay. The guide shared her story with Mariah, and it had a massive impact on the Sister Wives star.
“That was sort of the start of realizing this is okay,” Mariah explains.
“My whole life I tried to shut it out. I was finally letting myself be real. I had this image I had to uphold, and when I started letting that go, I realized I didn’t have to be the person I thought I had to be.”
While Sister Wives fans have only just learned that Mariah Brown made the decision to tell her family members that she is gay, Mariah revealed that she had told her family about it just before Thanksgiving Day.
#SisterWives' Mariah Brown reveals she became a homophobe to compensate with her conflicted feelings about being gay https://t.co/C0pr4f6C7B pic.twitter.com/w8GWteAMun
— People (@people) January 4, 2017
Per Kansas City Star, fans of Sister Wives will have to wait until Sunday to see the full fallout from Mariah’s family members following her big reveal. However, fans were able to get a glimpse of how some of the family members felt about her being gay from the preview of the next episode.
“You were like smiling and happy and saying you were so happy for her. And I’m just… I don’t…” Meri stammers.
“We’re not happy Mariah’s gay; we’re happy Mariah knows herself,” Kody says.
While it is clear the faith of Mariah Brown’s family does not support homosexuality, it appears as if they are just happy the Sister Wives star is finally being honest about who she really is.
After the episode of Sister Wives aired on Sunday, it didn’t take long for the star to start receiving praise and support on social media from followers of the show.
@mariahlian To say I'm happy for you, is an understatement. Thank you for being you, beautiful girl! You are an inspiration! ? #loveislove
— Audrey Kriss (@ohheyitsaudrey) January 2, 2017
Overwhelmed by the growing support the Sister Wives star was receiving for revealing that she was gay to her family, Mariah took to Twitter to thank her supportive followers.
How do you feel about Mariah Brown opening up about being gay to her family? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
