Netflix just released the trailer for Pray Away, which features former leaders of the “ex-gay†movement, and serves as a sobering reminder why we need Pride. The new documentary centers on Exodus International, a Christian program that claimed to convert gay men, women, and teens. Founded in the 1970s by five Evangelical Christians, the group claimed people could “pray away†their homosexuality, and members appeared on talk shows and in the news. In the years since, many of the group’s most outspoken members have come out as LGBTQ and condemned conversion therapy. “A voice inside me said, ‘How can you do this to your own people?’†one former member says of his experience. “I ached to be loved and to love a man,†another cries. The documentary explores the mental, emotional, and sometimes physical trauma faced by “formerly†gay and trans people who promote conversion therapy. LGBTQ activists across the world have waged legal and legislative battles to get the practice banned. Executive produced by Ryan Murphy and Jason Blum, the film is directed by Kristine Stolakis. Pray Away premieres on Netflix August 3.
