Miley Cyrus says she left church after gay friends were sent to conversion therapy

Cyrus discussed spirituality with Hailey Bieber on her new show Bright Minded, launched during coronavirus pandemic

Miley Cyrus says she stopped attending church after some of her gay friends were made to attend so-called conversion therapy.

The singer broached the topic in a conversation with Hailey Bieber in an episode of Bright Minded, a newly launched online talk show started by Cyrus to entertain and support fans during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cyrus explained that she was brought up religiously “in Tennessee, in the Nineties, so it was a less accepting time”.

“I had some gay friends in school that – the reason I kind of left my church is because they weren’t being accepted. They were being sent to conversion therapy,” she added.

“And I had a really hard time with that.”

Cyrus, who has openly identified as pansexual, told Bieber: “I had a hard time with it with me finding my sexuality, too.”

She said that her exchange with Bieber, who is a Christian, had left her open to “[redesigning] her relationship with God as an adult”.

“I’ve always had a hard time too with church making people feel excluded and not accepted and like they can’t be a part of it because of what they believe in or who they love or who they don’t love or whatever it may be,” Bieber said.

“I just don’t believe that that’s what God is about at all.”