Jim Marjoram was born in Australia in 1956 and moved to New Zealand in 1989, returning for a brief stint in the late 90s.
He spent over 40 years too afraid to speak his heart and share who he really is. He turned to Christianity as a teenager to find a “solution” for his homosexuality exploring every avenue available to change and become a straight man, and lived a life of lies and deception, self-hatred, depression and suicidality. He married twice thinking it would cure him somehow. In the 90s Jim became involved with Living Waters reparative therapy (conversion practices) organisation for 15 years with his second wife, extolling the virtues of the organisation and the power of God to change your orientation.
But he was living a deceptive and damaging lie. Nothing had changed in the slightest, except the level of religious obsession, depression and self loathing, all behind the façade of a good Christian man.
So after his life completely caved in following the death of his wife in 2011, he began to unravel his faith, sexuality and life in general, resulting in writing this book and establishing the Silent Gays project to provide resources, compassion, unconditional love and safe places for those silently suffering in and from religion.