With the practice of conversion therapy banned on minors in a less than desired fraction of the United States (18 states, Puerto Rico, District of Columbia, and several cities), it is important for us to keep pushing for a complete ban. A part of that is simply talking about the atrocity and letting people know it exists and what harm it does to not only those that are trying to be converted, but those around them.
Jeff Goldblum has recently shared that his brother Lee, who passed away in 2000, was sent away to conversion therapy by his father in order to to be fixed.
The Times Magazine interview, elaborated that there was cruelty from the dad toward Goldblum’s gay brother. The Goldblums’ dad kept the sexuality of Jeff’s brother from the rest of the family.
The cruelty and mental and emotional trauma placed on the Goldblum brother may have had led to life long issues. Jeff stated that Lee faced “troubles of one kind or another” including “physical ailments, [being] overweight, pharmaceuticals abuse, and self-medication issues.” There were other struggles like with employment, but what was shocking to read in the interview notes, Lee moved back in with his parents during the last decades of his life.
For those that feel conversion therapy should be tried as a resource to see if this thing we have is a phase, take note of what Jeff Golblum shared. He knew his brother was not broken, he knew he did not need fixing. His father and his overly masculine way about himself was being cast upon Lee.
Unfortunately the right thing to do (banning conversion therapy) has a loud voice against them, the ex-gay movement.
For almost three decades, the ex-gay movement has been claiming that gay men, lesbians and bisexuals can become heterosexual through “reparative therapy” or “conversion therapy.” Despite the fact that the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1973, ex-gay programs operate under the premise that homosexuality is a mental illness. Over the past few years, however, the ex-gay movement has adopted a new approach — targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth with both “preventive” measures and conversion. – thetaskforce.org
If we are to prevent tens of thousands of young Americans from having to go through such an event, we need more stories like the Goldblums to be shared by people like Jeff Goldblum. People tend to listen to famous people. Thanks Mr. Goldblum!
Source: The Times Magazine interview