With a subject like Conversion Therapy, it’s sometimes hard to get to the truth. Everyone has an opinion on the topic, even if they don’t have the data or real-life experience to back it up.

In other words, you need to tread carefully with Conversion therapy, and get the full story before you reach any conclusions.

Watching conversion therapy movies is a perfect way to learn more about this practice, its history, and the lay of the land in today’s legal framework. There are plenty of movies to choose from, with a range of different genres to fit the mood at the moment.

Documentaries, dramas, thrillers, and more – there’s a conversion therapy movie out there to suit your preferences. Here’s what you can learn along the way.

Information and Insight

Did you know that nearly 1 million LGBT adults have undergone some form of conversion therapy in their lives? How about the fact that conversion efforts are more common for trans people than standard gay and lesbian individuals?

These are some of the key pieces of info that you can get from watching conversion therapy films, without having to read through research papers and dense books. Filmmakers put in the heavy lifting to select and simplify data points to make more sense and support their points – you just have to tune in and pay attention.

If you’re brand new to the idea of conversion therapy, movies will have all the basic info you need to get up to speed. Just pick a few films, and you’ll have way more knowledge than the average person.

Key Events and History

The only way to fully understand the present and future of conversion therapy is to peer back into the past. What is the origin of conversion therapy, and what is the link between these practices and religious movements in the United States and beyond?

History is often clouded with bias, so you might need to do some digging with a subject like conversion therapy. This is where films can help us broaden our understanding of the history of the practice, where it originates, and associated ideas.

We can also learn about recent events relating to conversion therapy in today’s world. For example, some films highlight the pivotal moment when Dr. Charles Silverstein and Dr. Gerald Davison, among others, successfully advocated for removing “homosexuality” from the DSM manual in 1973.

Emotion and Compassion

With a mix of imagery, music, and cinema magic, movies can make us feel powerful emotions through a story – even if we’ve only known characters for a few moments onscreen.

Since conversion therapy is an emotionally strenuous experience for thousands of people, it makes sense that movies on the subject would bring us on an emotional roller coaster as well.

The best films in the genre show how people, young and old, from all backgrounds, deal with the pressure and shame of being gay or trans in today’s world. Many films highlight these struggles in rural areas of America, where religious convictions hold strong.

From family life to social interactions and school and beyond, we can see how complicated the conversion therapy experience can be in every dimension. Unless you have a heart of stone, you’ll likely feel compassion for the people involved.

Activism and Politics

Conversion therapy is one of the front-line issues in today’s battle for LGBT rights, and films can help us get a grip on where things stand legally.

Documentaries like Conversion from Gregory Caruso and Bristol Pictures give us some much-needed context on LGBT legislation and how activist efforts are shaping up throughout the country. You may need to do some added research to get the latest info, but these films can lay the groundwork.

Maybe you want to be the next great LGBT ally or lead an effort that unites people from various political factions. If a movie can inspire you to help real people in real time, that’s a positive thing for the movement.

Alternative Opinions

It’s easy to find yourself in an ideological “echo chamber” with a topic like conversion therapy, especially with the heated political environment of today.

Most people will simply absorb the views of the people around them or who they follow on social media, whether it’s for or against conversion therapy. As a smart, advanced person, you should be able to rise above the social pressure and develop an informed, original opinion of your own.

The majority of conversion therapy films are pro-LGBT, while others are more balanced, or even conservative in nature. Have the intellectual courage to test your own belief systems and see where you land after seeing a viewpoint from the other side.

The Future of Conversion Therapy

It seems that each year brings us a round of new films about conversion therapy that unveils another layer of complexity. Add one of these movies to your list, and come away with new insights and understanding.

The post What Can Conversion Therapy Movies Teach Us? appeared first on The Collegian.