SPLC is launching a campaign to draw attention to the damage done – mostly to young people – by so-called pray the gay away “therapy” approaches that are supported by various religious denominations in this country.  As part of this media effort, I produced a series of portraits of Chaim Levin, an orthodox Jewish young man who has been an outspoken opponent of “reparative therapy” and sexual abuse in his religious enclave of Brooklyn.

Here’s a video (produced separately by TruthWinsOut.org) of Chaim and another young man recounting their experiences with Jonah, a – highly UN-orthodox – approach to attempting to cure Jewish youth of their same-sex attractions.

I had covered the issue of conversion therapy once before, for Time Magazine in 2005, for a feature story by John Cloud that looked at two very different retreats for teenagers: The Point Foundation’s scholarship seminar that encourages young lgbt people who struggle with overcoming family rejection to succeed to college, and Exodus International’s Freedom conference, an evangelical gathering that aims to help people overcome their homosexuality through prayer.