In Western Texas is an Old Colony Mennonite settlement where John Guenter grew up. His mother converted and ended up being one of the most strict members there. He was bullied and ab*sed constantly for being gay, even though he wouldn’t even fully understand his orientation until later in life. He was under threat of being k*dnapped and taken to an unlicensed facility in Mexico where they sent people to be “fixed” for various reasons. Aside from the terror of being separated from family and sent to another country, it was well known that the Mennonites in Mexico had ties with the Cartel. He realized it wasn’t safe for him to remain in the settlement and escaped by joining the military as soon as he was able. Watch our follow up live with JT: https://www.youtube.com/live/EjFe72GhGnI?si=l5o5Np7u6Tua_5U1 Follow JT on social media! IG: https://www.instagram.com/jtguenter/ TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@jt_guenter Subscribe to our C2C "CLIPS" Channel! https://www.youtube.com/@CultstoConsciousnessClips Support C2C - Any donations are welcome and appreciated to support the making of this podcast. Find our FULL (uncensored) merch store here! https://cults-to-consciousness-shop.fourthwall.com/en-usd Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cultstoconsciousness Venmo @sheliseann Find us on Social media! Instagram @cultstoconsciousness https://www.instagram.com/cultstoconsciousness Host Instagram @sheliseann https://www.instagram.com/sheliseann/ Co Producer / Host @jonathan.rosales_ https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.rosales_ TikTok @cults.to.consciousness https://www.tiktok.com/@cults.to.consciousness Twitter @cultstocon https://twitter.com/cultstocon Chapter Marks **Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**