Alan Chambers, the former leader of the so-called “pray the gay away” organisation Exodus International, has been arrested in the United States, with police alleging he attempted to solicit a minor for sex.
Chambers was arrested on Tuesday in Orange County, California, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Police allege the 54-year-old man propositioned what he believed to be a 14-year-old boy for sex while communicating on the messaging app Snapchat, before later moving the conversation to Telegram. Authorities say Chambers was in fact communicating with an undercover deputy posing as a teenager.
Chambers has been charged with solicitation of a minor, transmission of harmful material to minors, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. Police have not disclosed whether he has entered a plea.
A judge set his bond at $15,000 and prohibited him from having any contact with individuals under the age of 18. Chambers was also ordered not to use social media. He was granted online access for work only.
Chambers previously led Exodus International, an organisation that promoted the widely challenged belief that people could change their sexuality through prayer. In 2013, Chambers shut down the organisation and issued a public apology to those the group had attempted to change.
The organisation’s closure came amid a growing number of states across the United States introducing laws banning conversion therapy. Exodus International operated for 37 years and at one point had more than 260 affiliated ministries.
