In an interview with HuffPost Live this week, FosterClub member Emily Brunelle recalled how living with foster parents in lieu of her biological family prompted her to end up in “reparative,” or “ex-gay,” therapy.

Brunelle, who grew up in Casper, Wyoming, recalled.

I had some great foster parents, but the struggle had always been that I was in a religious family that was accepting of me for the most part, but I didn’t feel like I could ever safely come out as a lesbian. It was very clear to me where they stood on that.”

Brunelle, whose biological mother identifies as transgender, said the experience

really left me in a place of wondering how do I be myself safely and get to love the person that I want to love, or the people that I want to love, and still have the family and support that I need to survive?”

FosterClub is an advocacy organisation aimed at keeping young people in foster care “connected, educated, inspired and represented so they can realise their personal potential and contribute to a better life for their peers.”