Shame-Sex Attraction: Survivors’ Stories of Conversion Therapy

Consisting of an introduction and 17 stories of first-hand encounters with conversion therapy, this book, edited by an activist and survivor of conversion therapy, is a poignant collection of true tales of heartbreak experienced by LGBTQIA+ people during the most difficult points of their journeys toward self-realization. Dipping into the horrible history of attempts to transform people who don’t fit into societal paradigms, these anecdotes give voices to people whose families and communities attempted to silence them or force them to fit a particular mold. Victimized by those who should have sought to protect and embrace them, the survivors share their pain in these pages that cannot be ignored—nor can the suffering they endured at the hands of self-declared therapists without any credentials or scientific backing. Stories like these are difficult to read, but also incredibly important, in the hopes that society can do better moving forward.