Laura McConnell was raised in the secretive Truth Two by Twos cult in rural northern Victoria until she was shunned at the age of 19.

The group is also sometimes referred to as The Church With No Name, The Truth or The Way.

"I was a queer kid who did not want to get married and have children, which was expected of me," she told the inquiry.

"I wanted to get an education and a career, and I pushed back on gender norms and behaviours and I was pushed out for that.

"I grew up surrounded by family violence, CSA [child sex abuse], grooming, physical and verbal abuse, spiritual and religious abuse. I have CPTSD [complex post-traumatic stress disorder] and I live with chronic pain."

Her story is among the 317 submissions to the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into the recruitment and impact

See Full Page