What a skillful retort to the lies of the religious right who claim to be able to change people's attractions to the same sex! This is an intensely moving, wonderfully shot documentary about the actual lives of many people who went through "reparative" therapies in rejecting their attraction to the same sex as well as those in their families. It pairs well w/ "Trembling Before G-d." I'd say.
There are great and very clear interviews w/ people who spell out the bizarre nature of the "treatments" that were supposed to cure them of their gay/bi/lesbian feelings and how poorly they actually led the people in those treatments to feel.
What you see are people who were very caring, wonderful people whose lives were further damaged by the therapies they underwent. The good news is that many of them survived OK by leaving these treatments and establishing healthy gay-affirmative identities. Many realized that their dysfunctional behaviors as gay/bi/lesbian people earlier in their lives were NOT b/c of being gay, but b/c of hating that part of themselves, and these behaviors receded as they accepted themselves more fully.
As a therapist myself, I've heard similar horror stories from many of my clients. If you ever had any illusions as to the "benefits" of these anti-gay "therapies," please watch this movie and find out the truth b/c many of the folks interviewed in this had claimed to have changed at different times.
There are great and very clear interviews w/ people who spell out the bizarre nature of the "treatments" that were supposed to cure them of their gay/bi/lesbian feelings and how poorly they actually led the people in those treatments to feel.
What you see are people who were very caring, wonderful people whose lives were further damaged by the therapies they underwent. The good news is that many of them survived OK by leaving these treatments and establishing healthy gay-affirmative identities. Many realized that their dysfunctional behaviors as gay/bi/lesbian people earlier in their lives were NOT b/c of being gay, but b/c of hating that part of themselves, and these behaviors receded as they accepted themselves more fully.
As a therapist myself, I've heard similar horror stories from many of my clients. If you ever had any illusions as to the "benefits" of these anti-gay "therapies," please watch this movie and find out the truth b/c many of the folks interviewed in this had claimed to have changed at different times.
