Married anti-homosexual activist who led 'pray away the gay' ministry is arrested for soliciting sex from boy, 14

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 19:47, 21 May 2026 | Updated: 19:47, 21 May 2026 An anti-homosexuality activist who made headlines with a 'pray away the gay' campaign has been arrested for allegedly soliciting sex from an undercover cop posing as a teenage boy.  Alan Chambers, 54, was arrested Tuesday after allegedly being caught in an undercover sting operation in Orange County, Florida.  He allegedly sent lewd messages over Snapchat with an undercover detective who told him he was just 14, and repeatedly tried to meet up with him, according to his arrest affidavit.  The affidavit, first reported by the Orlando Sentinel, said Chambers tried to solicit sex from the teenager from February 10 to May 4, and asked to move their communications to the encrypted platform Telegram.  Chambers, a former leader of the 'ex-gay' movement, was caught in a traffic stop by the Orange County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday morning and quizzed about the messages.  After admitting that the accounts were his, Chambers then stopped the interview when he was asked about his conversations with the 'minor', cops said.  Chambers was given a $15,000 bond following his arrest, and was ordered not to have contact with any minors or use any social media messaging apps.  The former activist was best known as the leader of the 'pray away the gay' ministry Exodus International, which he helmed from 2001 to 2014 when he shut it down and apologized for his homophobic stances.  Alan Chambers, 54, an anti-homosexuality activist who made headlines with a 'pray away the gay' campaign, has been arrested for allegedly soliciting sex from an undercover cop posing as a teenage boy. He is pictured with his wife Leslie Chambers (mugshot pictured) was given a $15,000 bond following his arrest, and was ordered not to have contact with any minors  Since leaving the anti-gay organization, Chambers became president of the Park Avenue District, a business advocacy group for corporations in Winter Park, Florida. The company now says he is 'no longer associated' following his arrest.  He also worked as vice president of operations at Park Avenue luxury menswear store John Craig Clothier, reported the Sentinel. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  During his days as an anti-homosexuality activist, Chambers made headlines with his admissions that he was attracted to men but forced himself not to indulge his temptations.  He claimed that he believed gay people could overcome their sexuality through prayer, and he was a vocal supporter of conversion therapy.  At its peak, Exodus International oversaw over 260 Christian ministries in 17 countries, and Chambers became the face of anti-homosexual politics in the United States.  He frequently raised eyebrows with his admissions that he was attracted to men, while insisting that he was not truly gay and Christianity had 'saved' him from his own sexuality.  'It was puberty when I realized all the boys in my class liked girls and I liked all the boys,' he told Buzzfeed in 2013.  'Then the prayers started every night: 'God, fix me. Cure me. Heal me. Whatever I've done to become this dirty, rotten sinner, fix this.'  During his days as an anti-homosexuality activist, Chambers made headlines with his admissions that he was attracted to men but forced himself not to indulge his temptations, believing he could 'pray away' being gay  Chambers would frequently appear on TV to debate his anti-gay stances. He is seen appearing on CNN in 2012 Chambers married his wife Leslie in 2006, and the couple adopted two children, who he frequently promoted in adverts for his anti-homosexuality advocacy.  Chambers said he reached out to a ministry aged 19, recalling that he desperately wanted to 'feel about women the way I felt about men.'  He remained at the helm of Exodus International until 2013, when he shuttered the company and apologized to the gay community for years of 'undue suffering at the hands of the organization, and the church as a whole.'  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.