Christian Dad Slammed After Suing His Gay Son For 'Breach Of Contract' After He Dropped Out Of Conversion Therapy

A father’s attempt to legally punish his son for rejecting conversion therapy is going viral and reigniting anger over the harm these programs continue to cause.

It all went down when a Christian dad took his own son to TV court for $6,000, claiming his gay son owed him the money after failing to complete a summer conversion therapy program.

The dispute played out on a recirculated episode of Equal Justice with Judge Eboni K. Williams. Gregory Talbert told the court he discovered his son, Michael Talbert, kissing another boy the previous year, when Michael was 17. Text messages shown in court revealed Gregory threatened to kick his minor son out if he “didn’t stop being gay.”

In one message shown during the episode, the father made his position unmistakably clear:

“Michael, I'm so disappointed in your behavior. You cannot kiss another man, especially in my house. If you want to live a homosexual lifestyle, you'll need to move out.”

Faced with that ultimatum, Michael told his father he would “do whatever you need me to do.” Gregory’s response: “Let’s fix this.”

Days later, Michael found a religious conversion therapy program, requiring attendance every weekday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for three months, aimed at changing his sexual orientation.

Michael told the court he felt he had no real choice, saying the threat of being forced out, combined with his family’s conservative, church-centered environment, left him fearing he could “end up on the streets.”

Describing the pressure he faced from his father:

“You were going to kick me out because of who I am? You were valuing the money you had spent into this program over your relationship with your son. That makes no sense. Who could do that to their kid?”

In messages to his father shown to the court, Michael admitted he was “scared to go,” but said he didn’t want “to lose you and mom.”

Gregory, however, framed the situation differently in texts:

“I like the director's philosophy about how no one is born homosexual. It's behavioral, and it can be fixed. Are you sure you want to do what it takes? The program is $6000!”

Michael ultimately dropped out, and that’s when his father filed suit, arguing “breach of contract.”

In court, Gregory downplayed his earlier threats as a “bluff.” Michael disagreed, saying he took them seriously and describing the program itself as deeply harmful.

Michael detailed his traumatic experience in the program:

“The director ... who my dad chalked up to be a great guy, said I was cursed, said that I was going to hell and called all of us there monsters, that we were unworthy and that we needed the program to fix ourselves.”

He also reiterated that he left after being told he was “cursed” and a “monster” for being gay.

But Gregory remained focused on the money, insisting his son “needed to finish what you started.” Judge Eboni K. Williams, noting the irony, pointed out that Michael was effectively being told he couldn’t leave because “dear dad here spent $6,000 of his hard-earned money.”

Michael’s testimony prompted an emotional response from Judge Williams, who stood up and addressed him directly, taking his hands.

Offering her support and reassurance to Michael:

“Young man, you are not cursed. 'You are as loved and as worthy, Michael, as your father, your mother, and everyone else who gets the privilege to reside on this earth, young man.”

You can view a clip from the episode here:

As the episode closed, Gregory made one final appeal, telling his son he needed to “make better choices.”

Michael’s response to his father underscored the deeper divide:

“Dad, I get that someone of your generation might not understand what it's like to be queer or on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. But until you learn to accept me and love me for who I am, this relationship is not gonna work.”

Readers quickly rallied around Michael, expressing heartbreak over his experience and outrage at the circumstances that led to it.

You can view the comments here:

Judge Eboni K. Williams ultimately dismissed the case, leaving little ambiguity about where she stood—not just on the lawsuit, but on the broader harm at the center of it.

Delivering her ruling:

“I don't care what your daddy says. I don't care what some stupid conversion therapy says, which is nothing but a bunch of hoopla and a scam and a money grab for young, vulnerable men like yourself. I see you, you are valuable, and Michael, you are perfect. You are perfect in the eyes of God.”

The full episode can be seen here:

In a case rooted in a practice widely condemned by major medical and mental health organizations, Williams’ decision cut through the controversy entirely, rejecting the idea that a young person could owe anything for refusing to endure it.

The ruling comes after a March 31 U.S. Supreme Court 8–1 ruling against a Colorado law banning licensed professionals from providing conversion therapy to minors. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued the lone dissent, warning the decision “opens a dangerous can of worms” by limiting states’ ability to regulate harmful medical practices.

For LGBTQ advocates, it's hard to ignore that while courts debate the legality of these programs, stories like Michael’s highlight the human cost and trauma behind them.