BALTIMORE, Md. – The upcoming feature-length documentary film, The Sunday Sessions, will have a special one-day premiere in 15 cities on Wednesday, Oct. 11 in recognition of National Coming Out Day.
The Sunday Sessions is an intimate portrait of one man’s struggle to reconcile his religious conviction and sexuality. The observational documentary chronicles the turbulent journey of a devout gay man as he attends conversion therapy in hopes of changing his sexual orientation. Watch the trailer above.
Director Richard Yeagley explains, “This multi-city, single day event is part of a larger national campaign to generate awareness, foster dialogue, and encourage action within each community.” Screenings will be hosted by select organizations, including individual chapters of PFLAG, the American Humanist Association, and the Metropolitan Community Church. For a complete rundown of screenings, please visit www.thesundaysessionsmovie.com/screenings.
Controversy over Conversion Therapy
Conversion therapy is the controversial, non-scientifically based process which aims to convert an individual’s sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. Although it has been discredited by all major American medical, psychiatric, psychological and professional counseling organizations, it is currently legal in all 50 states for consenting adults; and as of July of 2017, less than 10 US states have banned the therapy from being practiced on minors.
There has been a recent groundswell of support to reconsider the legality of this “therapy.” Many state and local legislatures, as well as the federal government, are considering legislation to ban the therapy from being applied to minors. Additionally, in the past few years, several LGBTQ advocacy groups have filed consumer fraud claims against therapists that offer conversion therapy services.
About the Film
The Sunday Sessions is an unflinching look at the underbelly of the controversial practice of conversion therapy. This is the first time a film crew was allowed ongoing and unencumbered access to shoot these secretive and controversial therapy sessions. The resulting film is a psychological drama that offers the audience a detailed glimpse into the surreptitious world of private sessions, weekend camps, and family therapy sessions.
The Humanist Magazine proclaims The Sunday Sessions “succeeds in offering the viewer an intensely harrowing inside look at one of the cruelest forms of homophobia…”
