“LGBT people aren’t ill. Being gay, lesbian, bi or trans is not something that should be ‘cured’ or changed.”
Voices of the Silenced (pictured above), a film made by Northern Ireland group Core Issues Trust (CIT), advocates that people with homosexual feelings are being made to feel it is mandatory to identify as gay. The gay cure film will be screened tomorrow night for the first time on the island of Ireland in Ballynahinch Baptist Church.
The film was pulled from a screening in the Vue Cinema in London’s West End, after a petition and protests, while the Director of Queens Film Theatre in Belfast also turned it down.
Director of the CIT, Mike Davidson says he wants to screen the film across Northern Ireland.
He denies the film advocates a ‘gay cure’, but is about “the rights of individuals to access help and support for unwanted homosexual feelings”.
“The film is saying some people can choose not to live out their homosexuality and can deal with their feelings to the point that they can have a viable relationship with the opposite sex,” he says.
“We are saying that they are not victims, they don’t have to live out those feelings. They can find ways of living that are consistent with their values.”
Having had counselling for homosexuality 63 year-old Davidson has been married to wife Lynore for 38 years.
“When I got married at 23 my wife was aware of my feelings, and she knew I had had sexual relationships with men,” he says.
The, which features other people who claim to have been converted from homosexuality, has been criticised by leading LGBT rights groups and health organisations.
“LGBT people aren’t ill. Being gay, lesbian, bi or trans is not something that should be ‘cured’ or changed,” a spokesperson for the campaign group, Stonewall, told the BBC.
“This unethical and degrading practice has been condemned by all major UK health organisations.”
© 2018 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
Support GCN
GCN is a free, vital resource for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community since 1988.
GCN is a trading name of National LGBT Federation CLG, a registered charity - Charity Number: 20034580.
GCN relies on the generous support of the community and allies to sustain the crucial work that we do. Producing GCN is costly, and, in an industry which has been hugely impacted by rising costs, we need your support to help sustain and grow this vital resource.
Supporting GCN for as little as €1.99 per month will help us continue our work as Ireland’s free, independent LGBTQ+ media.
comments. Please sign in to comment.