'Gay cure' documentary saga branded tragic by Brunel student
A documentary due to show a ‘cure for gay people’ could have increased homophobia, according to an LGBT Society member at Brunel University.
Sam Osbourne, an English and creative writing student believed Vue cinema in Piccadilly was right to cancel tonight’s screening – as he branded the whole saga as ‘tragic’.
The cinema, at Piccadilly in Central London has been forced to cancel private screening on ‘conversion therapy’ after protests from gay rights campaigners.
The documentary, ‘Voices of the Silenced: Experts, Evidences and Ideologies’ features 15 people who claim to have ‘emerged out of homosexual lifestyles after undergoing so called gay-treatments.
The premiere, organised by Christian group Core Issues Trust was due to be shown on Thursday evening and the group has been quoted on the cancellation saying that the documentary was not supposed to be ‘hateful’.
More than 600 people had signed a petition for the screening to be cancelled after details of the documentary were obtained by ‘Pink News’, an LGBT Website. Some protestors said they would stop visiting Vue if it was shown.
Sam said: ‘I think that the whole story is tragic – from both sides. On one hand, I believe it’s someone’s right to make homophobic material. However, I don’t like that it’s put under a religious umbrella...’.
The documentary said to have 126 ticket holders, including people from Africa, Northern Ireland and Europe.
Sam a member of the LGBT society added: ‘Conversion therapy teaches people about their sinners but there’s never any solid argument why, it’s ambiguous in a lot of religious books. I’m glad that Vue decided it was against their values because films like that are bound to increase rates of homophobia’.
Although the event has been cancelled, chief executive of Core Issues Trust, Mike Davidson is encouraging ticket holders to attend the screening anyway, expecting to see the film regardless of Vue making the cancellation.
Although he was unavailable to make a comment to IKB Insider, he was quoted on the BBC that, 'The film is not about a gay cure but the rights of individuals to access help and support for unwanted homosexual feelings'.
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