Editora Taverna fights the conversion therapy 'cure'

A new short film called The Cure brings attention to the harmful and discredited practices that have been - and continue to be - used in a bid to 'cure' people of homosexuality.

The film, created in partnership with Africa Sao Paulo and produced by Editora Taverna, a Brazilian publisher of literary works exploring themes such as politics, gender, feminism and racial issues, takes aim at 'conversion therapy', a so-called treatment which has been used for almost a century.

The Cure, though, isn’t just an exploration of long-past historical attitudes and acts, because these policies persist in Brazil today, and the film is part of a larger movement to correct the bigotry that still exists. The timing of the film’s release comes as a bill is being processed in the Brazilian National Congress that seeks to criminalise conversion therapy.

The film's narrative is inspired by the investigative work of journalist Marcos Sergio Silva and author Jean Ícaro’s powerful book Gay Cure: There Is No Cure for What is Not a Disease. "Dramatising the trauma associated with conversion therapy is an attempt to grapple with the past and the all-too-painful present," said Grag Queen, a Brazilian singer, songwriter, drag queen, actor and host of RuPaul’s Drag Race. "In conversion therapy, they stick on you a pair of glasses that only allow you to see your flaws and anxieties."

“We set this film against the backdrop of the 1930s and 1940s, when institutions like the Pinel Sanatorium purported to ‘correct’ non-heterosexual orientations through barbaric methods,” said Ícaro. "The Cure draws a harrowing parallel between past atrocities and the present-day challenges faced by the LGBTQIAPN+ community. In the past, torture committed against LGBTQIAPN+ [people] was primarily physical. While conversion therapy is mental it is, nevertheless, a form of torture. Aware that homophobia is not limited to just one country, the Editora Taverna commissioned the film to raise awareness and promote change globally."

"The Cure" is more than a film; it's a call to action. In addition to its cinematic debut, the project extends its reach through social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and supports legislative efforts to outlaw conversion therapies.