Abomination: Homosexuality and the Ex-Gay Movement

This 2006 short documentary was one of the first to shine a light on proponents of so-called “reparative therapy.” Abomination: Homosexuality and the Ex-Gay Movement profiles the journeys of four LGBTQ Christians who did everything possible to become heterosexual by following the “treatment” protocols of the so-called ex-gay ministries. At times heartbreaking, at other times hilarious, the approaches taken by these religious groups range from shock therapy and hypnosis to “gender coaching.” Ultimately, the “therapy” fails, even for the ministers in charge as they repeatedly scandalize themselves by “relapsing into gayness.”

Some of Abomination’s subjects spent decades in torment before they ultimately redefined their values, morals, and beliefs to allow themselves an identity that is both gay and Christian. In addition to the LGBTQ subjects, this film also introduces viewers to Mary Lou, a fundamentalist Christian mother who has a change of heart, realizing, “Jesus Christ himself would not have treated my daughter the way I did.” Abomination is a poignant testimony to the healing power of love on the road to self-acceptance. It is also a film about human rights and the fragility of our liberty in an increasingly fundamentalist America.