History Main / CureYourGays

Can be TruthInTelevision if the trope is merely alluded to, such as a [[HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster homophobic character ''mentioning'' it]] as a possible response to a gay or lesbian character's sexuality, or if a gay or lesbian person [[{{Gayngst}} tries it but fails]]. Can be inverted, commonly in erotica and erotic FanFiction, to have a character be [[PersecutionFlip "cured" of heterosexuality]].

Can be TruthInTelevision if the trope is merely alluded to, such as a homophobic character ''mentioning'' it as a possible response to a gay or lesbian character's sexuality, or if a gay or lesbian person [[{{Gayngst}} tries it but fails]]. Can be inverted, commonly in erotica and erotic FanFiction, to have a character be [[PersecutionFlip "cured" of heterosexuality]].

Can be TruthInTelevision if the trope is merely alluded to, such as a homophobic character ''mentioning'' it as a possible response to a gay or lesbian character's sexuality, or if a gay or lesbian person tries it but fails. Can be inverted, commonly in erotica and erotic FanFiction, to have a character be [[PersecutionFlip "cured" of heterosexuality]].

Does '''not''' include gay characters who turn out to have been bisexual all along (that is, they still find the same sex attractive, but are now in a relationship with a member of the opposite sex). Nor does it include IfItsYouItsOkay. Nor does it include [[DerivativeWorks turning]] a gay character straight with [[NegativeContinuity no in-story explanation at all]].

* ''Film/{{Bruno}}''. The title character (played by Sasha Baron Cohen) attempts to go straight with the help of a man who specialized in "curing" gay men. He ends up going hunting and to an orgy.

* In the later chapters of ''Bringing Me to Life'' there's Gabriel Jameson who tries to 'cure' his teenage son, Max, of being gay by abusing him. This started in Kindergarten - before Max'd even come out, before he'd even realized it, because [[EvilIsDumb his dad still goes by the 'rule' that a boy that starts baking, even if your Grandmom helps, makes you 'turn' gay]]. Thankfully, it doesn't work at all.

* ''Film/TrappedTheStoryOfAlexCooper'': The whole plot. When Alex comes out to her parents (who are Mormons) the first thing they do is send her to a gay conversion therapy prison.
* ''Film/VelvetGoldmine''. Teenage Curt Wilde is given shock treatments by his parents to cure him (based on the RealLife experiences of Lou Reed).

'''[[UsefulNotes/{{Bisexual}} Thirteen]]''': Oh, I don't doubt that even for a minute.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit''. One episode involved a doctor that claims to be able to cure homosexuality who is suspected of murdering his son's (male) lover. He claims he had no idea his son was gay and thought he was being raped [[spoiler:but he knew all along as his son's [[TheBeard beard]]'s mother told him.]] The victim was a former spokesman for an organization that supposedly cures homosexuality; when questioned, members of the group-- a gay man and a lesbian who are married having been tragically brainwashed and warped by the group-- acknowledge that there's no such thing as a cure for their orientation, and that choosing to suppress their sexual desires is as much a "lifestyle choice" as being part of gay culture-- and just as much of a struggle. It's both pathetic and sad.

* [[spoiler:Shizune Hakamichi]]'s route in ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'' [[DeconstructedTrope shows why this is a]] '''[[DeconstructedTrope terrible]]''' [[DeconstructedTrope idea]], with [[spoiler:Misha's infamous [[SexForSolace "comfort"]] scene]]. In the end [[spoiler:Misha is still in love with Shizune, both she and Hisao feel ''terrible'' about their tryst [[YourCheatingHeart since them having sex equaled to Hisao cheating on Shizune]], ''and'' said tryst results in the route's [[MultipleEndings Bad Ending]] where while Shizune never finds out about the cheating in itself, she breaks up with Hisao anyway because [[ItsNotYouItsMe she mistakenly believes she is a hindrance in Hisao and Misha's lives]].]]

Can be TruthInTelevision if the trope is merely alluded to, such as a homophobic character ''mentioning'' it as a possible response to a gay or lesbian character's sexuality, or if a gay or lesbian person tries it but fails. Can be inverted, commonly in erotica and erotic FanFiction, to have a character be [[HetIsEw "cured" of heterosexuality]].

* In the 11th major expansion Monks and Mystics of''Videogame/Crusader Kings'', it featured a Satanic cult where your character’s homosexuality can be “cured” by certain sexual events, such as a satanic orgy with a long-tail succubus. However, homosexuality can be “bestow upon” you by demons.

'''Aubrey''': Plenty of his lovers switched teams afterwards.\\

* ''ComicStrip/BloomCounty'', [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Dallas#Outland_and_Opus "Outland"]], where Steve Dallas was subjected to electroshock therapy.

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''

* In the later chapters of ''Fanfic/BringingMeToLife'' there's Gabriel Jameson who tries to 'cure' his teenage son, Max, of being gay by abusing him. This started in Kindergarten - before Max'd even come out, before he'd even realized it, because [[EvilIsDumb his dad still goes by the 'rule' that a boy that starts baking, even if your Grandmom helps, makes you 'turn' gay]]. Thankfully, it doesn't work at all.

* In ''Videogame/DragonAgeInquisition'', one of the major reasons [[BadassGay Dorian Pavus]] left Tevinter was because [[spoiler:his own ''father'' tried to use BloodMagic to make Dorian heterosexual (it should be noted that this has more to do with Tevinter obsession with bloodlines, rather than ''actual'' dislike of homosexuality in itself). The ritual is noted to have had a significant risk of lobotomizing him instead.]]

* {{Double Subver|sion}}ted in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', Ranma and co try to cure what they think is Tsubasa's LesYay[[invoked]] crush on Ukyo by setting her up on a date with Ranma himself. However, in the end, it turned out that while Tsubasa was an extremely convincing WholesomeCrossdresser ''he'' was totally heterosexual. ''Ranma ½'', unfortunately more or less a product of its time, has a slight stigma against homosexuality: Ukyo, Akane and Ranma consider Tsubasa a "[[{{Hentai}} pervert]]" that need correcting when they find out he's only interested in girls (at this point they still think he's a girl), and when Tsubasa gets exposed as a stalking transvestite, he, of all people, says he doesn't like guys because he's NOT a "pervert".

* {{Double Subver|sion}}ted in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', Ranma and co try to cure what they think is Tsubasa's LesYay[[invoked]] crush on Ukyou by setting her up on a date with Ranma himself. However, in the end, it turned out that while Tsubasa was an extremely convincing WholesomeCrossdresser ''he'' was totally heterosexual. ''Ranma ½'', unfortunately more or less a product of its time, has a slight stigma against homosexuality: Ukyo and Akane considers Tsubasa a "[[{{Hentai}} pervert]]" when they find out he's only interested in girls (at this point they still think he's a girl), and when Tsubasa get exposed as a stalking transvestite, he, of all people, says he doesn't like guys because he's NOT a "pervert".

* {{Double Subver|sion}}ted in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', Ranma and co try to cure what they think is Tsubasa's LesYay[[invoked]] crush on Ukyou by setting her up on a date with Ranma himself. However, in the end, it turned out that while Tsubasa was an extremely convincing WholesomeCrossdresser ''he'' was totally heterosexual.

* In the 11th major expansion Monks and Mystics of''Videogame/Crusader Kings'', it featured a Satanic cult where your character’s homosexuality can be “cured” by certain sexual events, such as a satanic orgy with a long-tail succubus. However, homosexuality can be “bestow upon” you by demons.

* Aaron is sent to a camp to cure his gayness in ''Film/LatterDays''. Not only does it predictably not work, but it's also there that he [[spoiler:hears the song Christian's friend has made using his diary and realizes Christian loves him]], giving him the strength to run away from there.

* Horrifically subverted in ''Film/TheImitationGame'' when Alan Turing is put on hormone therapy, "chemical castration", after being arrested for indecency.

* ''Film/{{Gigli}}''. Creator/BenAffleck is a cure for lesbianism, it seems.

* Aaron is sent to a camp to cure his gayness in ''Film/LatterDays''. Not only does it predictably not work, but it's also there that he [[spoiler:hears the song Christian's friend has made using his diary and realizes Christian loves him]], giving him the strength to run away from there.

* ''Film/SaveMe'' centers around a drug-addicted gay man who enters an ex-gay program at the request of his Catholic family shortly after an accidental overdose. Oddly, the ex-gay program itself is shown in a sympathetic light, with the two camp runners being portrayed as well-intentioned but woefully misguided and ultimately damaging. [[spoiler:They started the camp after their gay son committed suicide.]]
* The main character of ''Film/InAndOut'' tries to do this with a Self-Help tape. He proceeds to fail abysmally when he can't resist the urge to dance to "I Will Survive" despite [[TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat the tape screaming at him to stop]].
* The film ''A Different Story'' is of a gay man and a lesbian moving in together and both suddenly stop being gay and fall in love with each other.
* In ''Film/{{Maurice}}'', the title character goes to an American hypnotist to cure his homosexuality. Somewhat subverted since the hypnotist is the most reaffirming character in the film, giving up and suggesting Maurice emigrate to a country more accepting of homosexuality.
* In ''Film/PrayersForBobby'', Mary's efforts to cure her son Bobby's homosexuality drive him to suicide. Mary [[HeelRealization realizes]] that God didn't cure Bobby because there was nothing wrong with him in the first place and she becomes a gay rights activist.
* Mentioned in passing in ''Film/MillersCrossing'', where a gay character says [[SiblingIncest his sister came on to him to try to cure him]]. Given how trustworthy the speaker is, it's hard to say if he's telling the truth.
* Horrifically subverted in ''Film/TheImitationGame'' when Alan Turing is put on hormone therapy, "chemical castration", after being arrested for indecency.
* In ''Film/{{Carol}}'', the titular character mentions going to see a therapist to try to fix her "moral problem." She does it mostly to attempt to get to see her child and presumably quits after admitting that her affair with Therese was something she wanted.
%%* In ''Film/TheDanishGirl'', even the most compassionate doctor trans woman Lili meets thinks she's mentally unstable and needs some sort of painful therapy. The worst diagnoses her as schizophrenic and is ready to have her hauled off to an asylum before she escapes.%%
* In ''Film/{{Blackbird}}'', Randy tries to do this to himself, and later his mother and Pastor Crandall try to drive the homosexuality out of him, all without success.
* In the 1981 Marathi film ''Umbartha'', Smita Patil gets a job as director of a reformatory for wayward women. When some of the inmates discover that two women are in a lesbian relationship, violent homophobia erupts and they want to lynch the lesbians. Smita's character, intended to represent the voice of reason, lectures them that gays are not evil and depraved, they are merely mentally ill, and they need treatment to cure them instead of punishing them. In India of 1981, this is what passed for a modern enlightened view: presenting "cure your gays" as the compassionate alternative to lynching. Even that was too progressive for the lesbians in the movie themselves, who immediately [[GayngstInducedSuicide committed suicide]].