Harper’s Bazaar: A survivor of conversion therapy reflects on the controversial decision.
My experience in conversion therapy wasn’t the electroshock or military-boot-camp variety that makes for dramatic headlines or documentaries. Mine appeared gentler on the surface, consisting of weekly sessions with a therapist who treated my desire for love and connection like a disease. Bible verses were prescribed like medication. I spent summers at weeklong conferences with hundreds of young adults, all of us doing our desperate best to become someone God would finally accept. We were told to adjust our mannerisms, feign interest in sports, and “pray away” the core of our humanity. Every workbook promised the same thing: Change was possible if you surrendered enough.
