Shivangi Sinha
Alex Cooper’s real-life experience inspired Lifetime’s ‘Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story,’ which closely follows her journey after her parents sent her to an unregulated conversion program. In the film, her parents are depicted as Jessica and Dennis Cooper, and Kate Drummond and Steve Cumyn bring these characters to life. While Alex has never publicly revealed her parents’ real identities, the film captures the emotional turmoil she faced. The pain of rejection, the trauma of forced “treatment,” and her strength in fighting back are reflected beautifully in the film.
Alex Cooper’s Parents Sent Her to Live With a Mormon Couple in Utah
Alex Cooper’s parents lived in California and were raising six children in a devout Mormon household. Deeply involved in their religious community, they held strong traditional beliefs. So, when their youngest child, Alex, came out as gay at the age of 15, they struggled to accept the news. According to Alex, they asked her to leave the house and gave her no financial support. While staying with a kind neighbor, Alex was told by her parents that she would be sent to live with her grandparents in St. George, Utah. In reality, however, they had made very different arrangements.
Alex’s parents had contacted a fellow Mormon couple named Johnny and Tiana Siale in St. George, Utah. They ran an unlicensed “conversion therapy” program out of their home. The couple already housed other teenagers, and despite Alex’s resistance, her parents believed this was the right path for her. During her time there, Alex endured severe emotional and physical abuse. After she attempted suicide by taking a large number of pills, her parents weren’t informed until weeks later. Even then, they continued to support the so-called “teachings” at the Siales’ home, where she stayed for eight months. It wasn’t until Alex spent a month at a youth crisis center that her parents were allowed to bring her back under strict legal conditions. A judge ruled that Alex had the right to live openly as herself. She could date women, participate in her school’s Gay-Straight Alliance club, and express her identity freely, without interference.
Alex Cooper’s Parents Are Supportive of Her Life Choices
Alex Cooper has since shared that she and her parents have reconciled and now share a supportive, loving relationship. Despite what she endured, she has said that she never fully blamed them, believing instead that they were acting out of fear and misinformation rooted in their faith. She said, “I think my parents sent me to conversion therapy because they were concerned for my soul. They wanted me to get into heaven so they thought they were doing what was best for me.” Over the years, her parents came to better understand her identity and made sincere efforts to rebuild trust.
Alex has spoken warmly about how they now accept her as she is. They call her regularly over Skype and even spend holidays like Christmas with her and her girlfriend after she moved to Portland, Oregon. She described the reunion as healing, particularly when her father expressed his pride and offered to walk her down the aisle someday. Today, Alex works with a nonprofit that helps queer youth in crisis and uses her story as a tool for advocacy and hope. Her parents are very much a part of her life and they are proud of all her accomplishments.
Read More: Who Are Heather Robinson’s Adoptive Parents? Where Are They Now?
