Can’t pray it away: 6 times the dangers of conversion therapy have been depicted in film
documentary Conversion, which—as the title might suggest—provides an eye-opening look at the dangers of conversion therapy, as told by the individuals who survived it.It’s a subject as urgent as ever because, although the unethical practice has been banned and discredited in 22 states, recent studies have shown it still exists in almost all 50, albeit often insidiously rebranded, posing a threat especially to LGBTQ+ youth.What Conversion so astutely points out is: a big part of the problem is that many people don’t even know that conversion therapy still exists, believing it to be just a backwards thing of the past.
Therefore, merely making others aware of its realities—that there are real people being affected by it—has the power to save lives.With that in mind, while we anticipate Conversion‘s VOD release on July 2—we’re taking a moment to shine a spotlight on other films about conversion therapy.
While these movies all take different approaches to the subject at hand (there’s a slasher and a campy comedy among them!), they’re all at least based on the stories and experiences of real people, real survivors.
And they all have the ability to inspire real change.Perhaps one of the more well-known and well-regarded films to broach the subject matter, Boy Erased is based on an acclaimed memoir of the same name by Garrard Conley.