Netflix has dropped the trailer for Pray Away, a new documentary coming to the streamer on August 3. The film takes a look at the history of Exodus International.
The Christian evangelical organization was formed in the 1970s and claimed to be able to help gay and trans people to be straight and cisgender. It shuttered in 2013. Many of those involved with the organization were LGBTQ and claimed that prayer had helped them lead a straight life.
“In the 1970s, five men struggling with being gay in their Evangelical church started a Bible study to help each other leave the ‘homosexual lifestyle,’” says a promotional statement for Pray Away. “They quickly received over 25,000 letters from people asking for help and formalized as Exodus International, the largest and most controversial conversion therapy organization in the world.
“But leaders struggled with a secret: their own ‘same-sex attractions’ never went away. After years as superstars in the religious right, many of these men and women have come out as LGBTQ, disavowing the very movement they helped start.”
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The so-called conversion therapy they peddled has been denounced by dozens of respectable psychiatric associations, including The American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Conversion therapy is now banned for minors in 20 states, in recognition of the great harm it can do to the mental and emotional health of those subjected to it. It also simply does not work.
The documentary has been produced by Ryan Murphy and Jason Blum of Blumhouse Television. It was directed by Kristine Stolakis, who says she was inspired to explore the story after her own uncle, who is trans, attempted to undergo conversion therapy when younger.
Related: Bowen Yang opens up about undergoing conversion therapy as a teen
In recent years, comedian Bowen Yang and actress Alyson Stoner have spoken of their own experiences of undergoing conversion therapy, while the movie Boy Erased, starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe, brought the subject to the big screen in 2018.
Pray Away features interviews with several of those involved with the Exodus International movement. As one man now explains, behind his claims of being helped by Exodus, he simply “ached to be loved and to love a man.”
radiooutmike
I never entered conversion therapy.
But in my freshman year of college; I joined a well-known evangelical church that had many campus ministries. I have never seen so many people concerned about being a homosexual. I was routinely asked if I was a homosexual or if I had any homosexual experiences.
Add in near-daily inquiries about masturbation and you have an accelerator for shame. Looking back on almost 36 years ago; I can see the faces of all the people I recognize now as being part of the family. There was one particular girl who was in my campus group that was publicly shamed for her homosexuality. Actually it probably is exactly 35 years since that happened.
I was willing to bear my own feelings and shame; but I could not be witness to someone else’s; especially as “God has made us in His Own Image”. I left at the beginning of my sophomore year.
Chrisk
I joined a church group in college too. I’ve never in my life met so many young nutcases though. Yikes. Sex combined with low self esteem and desperation for acceptance seems to be a driving motivation for them.
This is why gay people will never be accepted by them. They can’t even accept themselves which makes them a perfect candidate for these Christian hate groups. It truly is a mental illness.
quantum
Would be nice to note that “Boy Erased” is based on a memoir of the same name by writer Garrard Conley.
missvamp
Stuff like this is why I’m proud to say I’m a Satanist. I was dragged to church as a kid & say the hypocrisy really early. There were some decent people in our small town church of christ, but far too many were there just to show off their fancy clothes on Sun or pray away their sins from the week. They were all cheating on each other, their kids getting drunk & doing drugs @ “youth group functions”. It was all a huge lie. The church imploded when one of the elders embezzled money from the building fund.