Gay Conversion Practices in Memoir, Film and Fiction

Book excerpt: "For over half a century, organisations and individuals promoting 'ex-gay,' 'conversion' and/or 'reparative therapy' have pushed the tenet that a person may be able to, and should, alter their sexual orientation. Their so-called 'treatments' or 'therapies' have taken various forms over the decades, ranging from medical (including psychiatric or psychological) 'rehabilitation' approaches, to 'counselling', and religious 'healing.' In this volume, contributors analyse key depictions of conversion therapy across a broad range of films and books such as This is What Love in Action Looks Like (2011), But I'm a Cheerleader! (1999), and Boy Erased (2018)"--