Pray Away: Netflix Releas Trailer for Gay Conversn Documentary - Variety

Contents:

• WHAT HAPPENS GAY NVERSN THERAPY? 'CAMERON POST,' 'BOY ERASED' SHOW SRY REALY
• 'GAY CONVERSN' THERAPY SURVIVORS SHARE HORRIFIC EXPERIENC IN NEW DOCUMENTARY
• NETFLIX FILM ‘PRAY AWAY’ DOCUMENTS AB BY GAY CONVERSN THERAPY
• FORMER 'EX-GAY' LEARS DENOUNCE 'CONVERSN THERAPY' IN A NEW DOCUMENTARY
• A STAR-STUDD NEW FILM REVEALS THE TTH BEHD 'GAY CONVERSN' THERAPY
• KEV BAN NS A VERY CREEPY GAY NVERSN THERAPY MP TRAILER FOR HORROR FILM THEY/THEM
• ‘THEY/THEM’ FILM REVIEW: SHARP SCRIPT GIV BE TO GAY-CONVERSN CAMP HORROR STORY
• THEY/THEM REVIEW: A SLASHER GO TO GAY CONVERSN CAMP CLEVER HORROR MOVIE
• NETFLIX’S ‘PRAY AWAY’ DOCUMENTARY WILL REMD YOU THAT GAY CONVERSN IS STILL GOG ON
• “THE MISTN OF CAMERON POST,” REVIEWED: AN EMPATHETIC BUT UNIMAGATIVE TALE OF GAY CONVERSN THERAPY
• GAY CONVERSN THERAPY DOC ‘PRAY AWAY’ RELEAS EMOTNAL TRAILER (EXCLUSIVE)
• A 'HOPEFUL STORY' WH GAY CONVERSN THERAPY DRAMA 'BOY ERASED'

WHAT HAPPENS GAY NVERSN THERAPY? 'CAMERON POST,' 'BOY ERASED' SHOW SRY REALY

Gay nversn therapy is more than jt a "South Park" ntroversial practice – which emotnally abive, often extreme methods to "cure" people of their homosexualy – has been a subject for edic fodr the ribald animated seri, as well the 2000 film satire "But I'm a Cheerlear.

" But reparative therapy is still a ighteng realy for thoands of LGBTQ people, who often enter "ex-gay" programs at the sistence of pastors, unselors and loved on. Two new films are aimg to show the paful reali for kids gay nversn programs: awards ntenr "Boy Erased" ( theaters Nov.

More:$90K donated to send gay valedictorian to llege after parents reject himRelated:Chloë Grace Moretz go to gay nversn therapy  'Mistn'"Boy" stars Lus Hedg and is based on the 2016 memoir by Garrard Conley, who entered Love Actn, an ex-gay Christian mistry, after beg outed to his parents (played by Nile Kidman and Rsell Crowe) 2004 at age 19.

'GAY CONVERSN' THERAPY SURVIVORS SHARE HORRIFIC EXPERIENC IN NEW DOCUMENTARY

' For rearch, "Cameron Post" director Diree Akhavan and -wrer Cecilia Fgiuele terviewed survivors, watched sermons and read materials ed ex-gay programs.

At one therapy mp, Shurka and other men were asked to re-create the moments that "ma" them gay. Filmmaker Zach Meers is hopg to shed light on the vert and often adly methods volved so-lled gay nversn therapy wh a stirrg new documentary. Netflix has released the trailer for Pray Away, a new documentary that vtigat the abe brought on by gay nversn therapy programs — featurg terviews wh the program lears themselv.

NETFLIX FILM ‘PRAY AWAY’ DOCUMENTS AB BY GAY CONVERSN THERAPY

The film centers on Exod Internatnal, an Evangelil gay nversn program that began as a Bible study group between five gay men who wished to help each other leave the “homosexual liftyle. ” Shortly after s ceptn the Seventi, the group received 25, 000 letters om LGBTQ people askg for help, leadg Exod Internatnal to rapidly grow to the largt gay nversn therapy program the world. It's a movement that's born out of a larger culture of homophobia and transphobia that still persists the majory of Christian church today.

It wasn't until the suici of his iend, who was also part of the "ex-gay" movement, that he reevaluated everythg. Interview highlights clu extend web-only answers and have been eded for length and clary: Interview Highlights Thomas on how he joed the "ex-gay" movement and Exod Internatnal I was out of the closet the '80s.

They also had a group for the gays, and unrneath all of that olns there was this toxic theology that said that you need to overe homosexualy. Stolakis on what the ex-gay and nversn therapy movement looks like today Conversn therapy and the ex-LGBTQ movement has always been practiced lolly.

FORMER 'EX-GAY' LEARS DENOUNCE 'CONVERSN THERAPY' IN A NEW DOCUMENTARY

It's bee very lennial-driven bee there are younger people who've grown up homophobic and transphobic environments who are ready and willg to take the place of people like Randy.

A STAR-STUDD NEW FILM REVEALS THE TTH BEHD 'GAY CONVERSN' THERAPY

Viewg homosexualy as a mental disorr was abolished over 45 years ago, after was removed om the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn’s diagnostic handbook 1973 and om the World Health Organisatn's tegorisatn of mental illns 1992.

Dpe the longstandg classifitn change, ultranservative groups untri all across the world ntue to prcribe 'gay nversn' therapy, a highly ntroversial and harmful practice that aims to ‘cure’ those who intify as lbian, gay, or LGBTQ people are more accepted now than ever before, the celty of gay nversn therapy remas prevalent and unrreported. You'll overe your homosexualy. As explored the documentary, barely any lears had any kd of trag psychology, unselg or human the scen, the film shows a symbtic fancial relatnship formed between select psychologists and the nversn therapy movement: Exod required credibily, and psychologists required se you missed:Matt Damon's e of a gay slur any ntext 2021 is unacceptable and embarrassgIn rearchg "Pray Away, " director Kriste Stolakis disvered "the vast majory of nversn therapy anizatns are actually n by LGBTQ folks who claim that they have changed themselv, " she tells USA TODAY.

KEV BAN NS A VERY CREEPY GAY NVERSN THERAPY MP TRAILER FOR HORROR FILM THEY/THEM

In the same mographic, an timated 57, 000 youths will face nversn therapy om a relig adviser or pastoral film also featur a current lear of the nversn therapy movement, Jefey McCall, who found Freedom March, a lennial--driven "ex-gay" group. " An endg pot the film strik like lightng: As long as homophobia and transphobia exist more generally, nversn therapy won't vanish.

"It don't matter if dividual lears fect, unfortunately, at this pot, bee we have a larger culture of homophobia and transphobia that's sentially trag new potential lears to take their place, " Stolakis says.

‘THEY/THEM’ FILM REVIEW: SHARP SCRIPT GIV BE TO GAY-CONVERSN CAMP HORROR STORY

"'There's no textbook for this':'Never Have I Ever' Season 2 shows there's no one way to be gay.

Cast & crewUser reviewsTrivia2018R1h 55mThe son of a Baptist preacher unwillgly participat a church-supported gay nversn program after beg forcibly outed to his son of a Baptist preacher unwillgly participat a church-supported gay nversn program after beg forcibly outed to his son of a Baptist preacher unwillgly participat a church-supported gay nversn program after beg forcibly outed to his productn, box office & pany Vios42More like thisReview Gay nversn not OKThe son of an Arkansas preacher go to gay nversn therapy, first willgly, then reluctantly. This is very much an advocy film agast gay nversn, and has the star power to get to a general dience.

THEY/THEM REVIEW: A SLASHER GO TO GAY CONVERSN CAMP CLEVER HORROR MOVIE

*Government lays ban for five years*Prsure on Sunak to act*LGBTQ+ activists fear loophol*Campaigners divid over trans rightsBy Lucy MiddletonLONDON, July 20 (Thomson Rters Foundatn) - When Alex me out as gay, the 15-year-old’s parents issued a stark ultimatum: unrgo nversn therapy or clear out of the fay home the northern English cy of chose optn one and unrwent multiple ssns wh elrs om the fay’s Jehovah’s Wns ngregatn, seekg a ‘cure’ for homosexualy. A ernment survey showed that more than half of Brons who had tried nversn therapy were offered through a relig group, almost 12% were signposted by a health re Ozanne, a gay evangelil her 50s who chairs the UK’s Ban Conversn Therapy Coaln, sought treatment her 20s and 30s, after fallg love wh a procs led to hospal admissn for a nervo breakdown. " A masked maniac is stalkg the habants of a gay nversn therapy mp They/Them (out Augt 5), the directorial but om Gladiator and The Aviator screenwrer John Logan.

NETFLIX’S ‘PRAY AWAY’ DOCUMENTARY WILL REMD YOU THAT GAY CONVERSN IS STILL GOG ON

Veteran screenwrer John Logan mak his directorial but wh “They/Them, ” a Blumhoe horror movie set a gay nversn mp, and his formidable screenwrg prows is what really sets this picture apart om others the horror genre.

Kev Ban excels here as Owen Whistler, the head of a gay nversn therapy mp that has the words “Rpect, Renew, Rejoice” on the sign above the entrance. “Gay people are A-OK wh me!

They/Them tak place at an isolated 'gay nversn' mp the middle of the woods, where an ensemble st of LGBTQ+ teens are sent for var reasons. The first thg that Netflix’s Pray Away documentary do is remd viewers that gay nversn therapy is not a thg of the past. Dgs, alhol, homosexualy.

“THE MISTN OF CAMERON POST,” REVIEWED: AN EMPATHETIC BUT UNIMAGATIVE TALE OF GAY CONVERSN THERAPY

It’s shockgly siar to the ttimony given by the lears of the ex-gay movement over thirty years ago, several of whom are featured Pray Away after leavg the movement and formally apologizg to the LGBTQ muny. John Plk, for stance, was the poster child for the “former homosexual” who succsfully nverted to the straight liftyle. He appeared wh his wife Anne on the ver of Newsweek magaze 1998, and both of them appeared on talk show after talk show to reunt how both of them were gay, but ma a nsc effort to change.

Plk soon joed the board of the Christian anti-homosexualy group known as Exod Internatnal, which was found 1976 and disband 2013. Bee I was dishont, ed people the dience—people that were stgglg wh homosexualy or had gay feelgs—to feel like, ‘There mt be somethg wrong wh me, bee I’m not like him. '” Plk left Exod 2003, three years after he was photographed gog to a gay bar.

GAY CONVERSN THERAPY DOC ‘PRAY AWAY’ RELEAS EMOTNAL TRAILER (EXCLUSIVE)

(Plk’s wife Anne cled to be terviewed for the documentary and ntu to spread anti-gay msagg as the head of a new Christian ex-gay mistry.

Her story is particularly tragic—after g out to her mom at 14, she was forced to see a man named Ricky Chelette who ran another relig ex-gay therapy anizatn lled Livg Hope. Rogers fally left the ex-gay movement after bearg wns to an emotnal, televised group therapy ssn 2013, which survivors of the ex-gay movement unload their trma onto Exod print Alan Chambers. Chambers, too, was so shaken by the stori shared by the “ex-ex-gays” that he and others disband Exod that year, issug a public apology to the LGBTQ muny.

A 'HOPEFUL STORY' WH GAY CONVERSN THERAPY DRAMA 'BOY ERASED'

You n’t help but wonr if McCall, like the ex-gay lears before him, will ever look back on that phone ll and acknowledge how much damage he likely ed.

The most revealg tails volve the perverse psychologil strategi by which the center’s lears try to change the teens’ sexual orientatn: nyg that there is such a thg as a homosexual person, and claimg that homosexualy is a choice of behavr, not an inty.

“The Mistn of Cameron Post” shows that nversn therapy is wrong; that homosexualy is neher a sickns nor a s; that fai forcg their children to such therapy are monstro; that the officials of such facili are, however virtuo or even sacred they may nsir their motiv to be, stctive and abive. One of the extraordary aspects of Lee’s film is that isn’t so much a story of hate-filled people and their victims as is a story of mediatn, the wist sense: the power of law to mediate between vlent racists and potential victims, and also the power of media (cludg movi) to perpetuate those nearly the entirety of “The Mistn of Cameron Post” is set wh the nf of the God’s Promise facily, the real subject of the film is the enforcement of the law that allows parents to send their children to such facili and to force them to stay there, and also the attus of the law, and the mor, regardg homosexualy particular and children’s rights general.