Encounter

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So-called "gay conversion Therapy " can be condemned by experts, But it is still allowed in the UK. So, what happens if gay podcast host James Barr to simulate logged in "treatment"?

I'm sitting in a room, in the North of Ireland to A Man who says he offers "talk Therapy " for people who don't want to be gay. And I can not believe me, feel help Worried - despite all The Evidence I've read-on the contrary, a tiny part of me, That he convince me That I can't have you as a gay.

The Man who is in front of me, Mike Davidson, he is originally from New Zealand and he invited me to His house, about 30 Minutes outside of Belfast. It is in a very quiet area, in the vicinity of Small Houses hidden from a side street, the kind of place where everyone knows Your Business . His neighbors know what's happening here? I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable. It reminds me of my home town of Eastbourne, and in the closet, hiding my secrets.

Mike welcomed me in via a side door in His tiny office, and beams: "This is where we do The Work . "

It is small, But it contains a fairly sizable DVD collection. He tells me That he loves movies about the war and asks me if I have the same feeling. I say: "Yes , sort of. "We have something in common.

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James Barr, co-host of the podcast, A Gay and Non-Gay, with His (non-gay) friend, Dan Hudson (right). The couple travelled to Northern Ireland From Gay Not Gay? a three-part BBC-podcast series in which you meet people, the by the so-called " gay "conversion Therapy ". You can download it.

Mike and I take our seats, and it's a pretty tight squeeze. He is a relatively kind-looking man, glasses, a sweet Face - the kind of person who would help carry your purchases to The Car , when he saw how they fight. He seems to be friendly.

He also runs a Christian aid organisation called Core Issues Trust, which, he tells me, "people seriously who say they want to Move Away from homosexual practices and feelings". His technique, he says, is to explore your experiences from the past and learn more about their unwanted same-sex attraction".

"What we do is, replace those feelings," he says.

Almost half of those he sees are non-Christians, he says, and he only works with adults.

But in spite of all certificates for His achievements at the University, the on His office wall, Mike is not a qualified doctor, and neither he is a registered therapist.

The NHS and all major Therapy professional associations say That what he is doing is unethical and potentially harmful. The British government has said it wants to ban The Practice . But Mike is still allowed to do it, and here we are.

Mike Davidson

It's been a long time since I had a "unwanted same-sex attraction", as Mike would. I Am an out gay man, a comedian, and I as co-hosts the United Kingdom, the largest LGBTQ+ podcast and regularly chat about sexuality and equality, both in television, On Stage and to our international podcast audience - But I remember a moment when a 13-year-old me was less confident.

We constantly hear theories of why LGBTQ+ people exist and 13 surrounded by Straight people, which sowed predominantly heterosexual planet a seed of doubt and shame in my head gay. I realized That My Life desired to be much more difficult, as a gay man, and for a fraction of a second, I really, I would have just.

in the year 2019, it is actually fairly easy to see why they might want someone to turn heterosexual. Homophobic hate crimes in the UK are on The Rise . Recently, a survey suggested That 58% of gay men are afraid to hold hands with a partner in public. A lesbian couple bus were attacked on a London in a suspected Hate Crime shocked the country.

This is why I'm looking for Mike. Is he motivated by homophobia, or did he actually think he's Helping People who don't want to be gay? And if he is, is That OK?

And so Mike simulates one of His Therapy sessions with me. He asks me if I have no past trauma.

I answer, That when I was younger I was Bullied for ginger, and when I Bullied older I became, because you are gay. I tell him of a time when someone bumped me at the Bus Stop .

Then I ask him if he has a theory as to why That would Make Me gay.

He answered: "I believe That any thing gives people That same-sex attraction... But if their existence in the school, it is bullying. And I'm not surprised That perhaps you are far away from other males. "

His voice is soft, he is personable and for The Most part, it doesn't feel like a normal Therapy session, But it is not. I remember That he is not a real psychotherapist. I know, I'm here as a reporter, But I'm prone to - this is all so personally.

In July 2018, published by the British government, in which it says it wants. prohibition of "harmful" gay conversion Therapy in the UK According to a national survey, 2% of the UK gay people have offered by you and 5% were.

The government says That More Than half of those who offer this are faith groups - not just Christian - and although Mike is working in Northern Ireland , it happens in the whole of the UK.

Before I meet for a visit at Mike, I'm a young man on the North Irish coast by the name of Josh Lyle. He is gay and a Christian - to be a grandmother, a preacher, and The Church is a big part of life, where he lives. He told me That in Northern Ireland , religion is only a belief, it is part of their identity.

He recalls how One Day in His Church, he went over to a rack of brochures. "It was a called" take your child back to God", and it was essentially a book to tell parents How To make your gay children Straight . "

He experienced a lot of homophobia. As he is walking in the city, the people, the abuse regularly shout, and recently, he was spat upon. So he says he understands, in a way, why someone might think they want conversion Therapy .

"It is hard, really, to Grow Up as a gay child, and if someone came to you, if you are in your worst of dealing with who you are, and said, 'I have this magic wand That you are better, do you want me the shaft?' You would be very tempted, Yes . "

But , to do the consequences can be extremely harmful. Former Christian singer Vicky Beeching spent trying Most of her life to suppress her own attraction to women, and tried various forms of gay conversion Therapy , to speak of prayer and exorcism Therapy .

One Day , she noticed strange white spots on your skin. She went to The Doctor and was disease said, they had developed an auto-immune called scleroderma.

"The Doctor told me That my body was At War with itself. You said you believed That trauma and stress, and specifically my journey with the suppression of my sexuality and the shame That they felt, led to all of these problems with my immune system," she says.

Wickie and sold millions of records worldwide including her hit, Especially what she says, in retrospect, perhaps perfectly sums up your willingness to suppress your own sexuality, for Jesus is love. She has since written a book explaining why she believes you can be both a Christian and gay.

As I sit across from Mike, I realize That we mirror each other's Body Language . We both crossed our legs.

I'm curious to find out more about why Mike ended up to do this.

He explains That he grew up in The Church , and when he had homosexual feelings That he was ashamed and wanted to get away from them.

"I always had the feeling That I always felt different and excluded. I was not good in sports. "He says he was emotionally separated from His Father - A War veteran, was great at rugby and cricket. "I said to myself, 'Well, if The Man be,' referring to My Father , 'I don' T want to do something. '"

For Most Young Men , he says, "it is almost as if she was drawn to the mystery, the otherness of The Female . Now, for me, the males of the other felt. Because I don't feel like one. "

he says he went through a form of conversion Therapy itself and it helped him realize why he had these feelings.

It is at this point I start to challenge, Mike.

But the people who come to him are Vulnerable , I tell him, and he is misleading them, giving them thoughts, you suppress your.

hearing this, I feel sorry for him.

your story has me overwhelmed.

homophobia, long reads, belfast, lgbt

Source of news: bbc.com