Pray Away (2021)
Coming Out at August 3, 2021 on Netflix
Documentary
Pray Away is documentary film directed by Kristine Stolakis and producers Jessica Devaney, Anya Rous and Kristine Stolakis. The film primiered at June 16, 2021 on Tribeca Film Festival.
In the 1970s, five men struggling with being gay in their Evangelical church started a Bible study to help each other leave the “homosexual lifestyle.” They quickly received over 25,000 letters from people asking for help and formalized as Exodus International, the largest and most controversial conversion therapy organization in the world.
But leaders struggled with a secret: their own “same-sex attractions” never went away. After years as superstars in the religious right, many of these men and women have come out as LGBTQ, disavowing the very movement they helped start. Focusing on the dramatic journeys of former conversion therapy leaders, current members, and a survivor, PRAY AWAY chronicles the “ex gay” movement’s rise to power, its unscientific influence, and its legacy of profound harm.
Director: Kristine Stolakis