Michael Glatze
Quick Facts
Biography
Michael E. Glatze (born 1975) is the co-founder of Young Gay America and a former advocate for gay rights. He received media coverage for publicly announcing that he no longer identified as homosexual and denouncing homosexuality.
A movie entitled I Am Michael based on his life starring James Franco premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.
Biography
Glatze was born in Tacoma, Washington. His mother was a non-denominational Christian and his father was agnostic. His father died of a heart condition when Glatze was 13, and his mother died when he was 19. Glatze earned a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College where he majored in English literature and creative writing, with a minor in music.
While working at XY Magazine in San Francisco, Glatze met Benjie Nycum. Glatze and Nycum coauthored the book XY Survival Guide (2000). They later co-founded their own publication, Young Gay America magazine (YGA Mag).
In 2005, Glatze was quoted by Time magazine saying "I don't think the gay movement understands the extent to which the next generation just wants to be normal kids. The people who are getting that are the Christian right."
Glatze turned toward Christianity after a health scare due to heart palpitations. Worried that he was affected by the same heart condition which claimed his father's life, he sought medical help. The palpitations turned out to be due to anemia, caused by celiac disease. He joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the first half of 2007 but left the church shortly after.
Glatze has written two pieces about his change which appeared in an online media outlet WorldNetDaily. He has also received media coverage in other publications and in the book 16 Amazing Stories of Divine Intervention as well as several blogs.