By Jenna Greaves
Herald Correspondent
After being homeless at only 19 years old for being gay, Randy Scobey found his home in notebook paper and pens. Now, after seven years of work, Scobey’s debut novel “WHY: A Memoir” is out.
Scobey’s love for writing started simply from sending letters to friends and loved ones.
In 2017, during the production of the documentaries “For They Know Not What They Do” by Daniel Karslake and “Pray Away” by Ryan Murphy and Kristine Stolakis, Scobey was interviewed and asked to reflect on why his life had so many contradicting events.
Throughout his lifetime, Scobey went from a gay man partying in the 80s to being a devoted evangelical Christian in the 90s to a right-wing activist and the Executive Vice President of the largest conversion therapy group to eventually shutting down the organization in 2013.
His response to the question: “I have no flipping clue.”
Searching for a way to reconnect with himself, Scobey began writing “WHY: A Memoir.”
“It was mainly for me to figure out why my life history looked like a ping-pong ball in a dryer,” Scobey said.
As he wrote, he began to connect the dots.
After 85,000 words of what he called “brain dump,” he put the publishing process on hold because the book was originally created for his personal self-discovery.
In late 2021, when “Pray Away” was released and began to gain popularity, rumors and false information also began to spread. Looking for a way to set the record straight, Scobey remembered that he had exactly what he needed waiting for him on his computer for nearly five years.
“I didn't have the bandwidth to chase everyone around to correct the record, but I could at least tell my own story,” Scobey said. “So, I pulled down the brain dump of my life and started trying to clean it up to present to a publisher.”
Three years later, Scobey’s story was finally shared with the world on May 14, 2024, his 56th birthday.
“It means everything!” Scobey said.
What started out as a simple way to reflect on personal events blossomed into a novel about acceptance, honesty and resilience.
Throughout the publishing process, “WHY: A Memoir” gained a deeper meaning. Beyond reconnecting with himself, Scobey wrote his memoir with the hopes of helping LGBTQ+ youth and opening eyes to the reality of conversion therapy.
“I also want to help change hearts and minds to have permission to love their LGBTQ+ loved one, neighbor, and community for who they are, a treasure,” Scobey said. “You can believe whatever you want to believe, but LGBTQ+ people are as deserving of dignity and respect as anyone else.”
After only a few months after its release, “WHY” has already received praise from Emmy nominated actors, NBC News radio hosts, directors, producers and GLAAD.
“WHY” can be found on Amazon, Allstora, and all major book retailers. Scobey also encourages readers to share their thoughts with him by emailing him at [email protected] or through social media at @rrscobey.
Scobey said fans of the memoir can look forward to the potential of a second book taking shape soon.
