Gay Man Says Church Beat, Imprisoned Him (VIDEO)

"A gay man says he was physically and verbally abused by members of his North Carolina church while being detained for several months in a church dormitory.

Michael Lowry, 22, told ABC News that he was approached by a leader from the Word of Faith Fellowship Church, who asked him what his deepest secret was. When Lowry replied, "I'm never telling," he said he was knocked unconscious and then kept in a church dormitory from August to November 2011 with other young men who were having problems at home.

"The doors were locked, it was jail," he said to the Charlotte Observer. "You weren't allowed to speak to your family. Many of the men had wives and children, but they weren't able to communicate with them." He eventually told church leaders that he wanted to leave, and they let him go.

Jane Whaley, the church's former pastor, said Lowry's allegations were "lies" and that he was free to leave at any time. She said Lowry was not held or beaten, but then added that she only learned about what happened to Lowry after he spoke to news outlets about the attacks."* Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian break down the story of extreme abuse Lowry suffered, and why ingrained hate may be to blame.