Thinking Straight (Pt 2): Undercover
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 13 August 2021
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Attempts at conversion therapy are taking place across the country: in village churches, Harley Street clinics and counsellors' treatment rooms.
In this second episode of a seven-part series, reporter Emily Sargent goes undercover to explore the extremely secretive practice.
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If you, or someone you know, has been affected by the issues raised in this episode, the following organisations can help:
Switchboard provides an information, support and referral service for anyone who needs to consider issues around their sexuality.
Phone: 0300 330 0630 (10am-10pm).
Samaritans is available for anyone struggling to cope and provide a safe place to talk 24 hours a day.
Phone: 116 123
Guests:
- Suzi Ruffell, stand-up comedian; host, Out with Suzi Ruffell.
- Dr Rohit Dasgupta, University of Glasgow.
Host: Emily Sargent, journalist.
Clips: Core Issues Trust, X-OUT-LOUD Europe, 10 Downing Street.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, it's Manvine here. Today I'm handing the podcast over to the journalist Emily Sargent. |
| 0:06.0 | This is part two of her special investigation, and if you missed part one last week, |
| 0:10.6 | do go back and have a listen. And she's looking at a fascinating and, until now, |
| 0:15.6 | extremely secretive practice that's still taking place all over Britain. |
| 0:21.3 | Conversion therapy. This is Thinking Straight. |
| 0:25.4 | Last episode on Thinking Straight. |
| 0:32.2 | We need to call it Conversion Abuse. It's certainly not a therapy. |
| 0:35.7 | In the scientific community, the consensus around conversion therapy is it's pointless and |
| 0:40.1 | psychologically damaging. I'm hoping that we will have a good time as we get further into the issues |
| 0:48.0 | that relate to unwanted same sex attraction. Conversion therapy hasn't just survived the pandemic. |
| 0:54.9 | It has thrived. It is our vision and mission to raise an army of formerly gay, lesbian, bisexual and |
| 1:03.6 | transgender individuals. But who are these figures and how do they do it? A lot of people don't |
| 1:10.6 | realise that it's happening all the time over here and it takes place in so many different ways. |
| 1:14.8 | There was no way to answer those questions without taking a dive into that world myself. |
| 1:20.2 | You're listening to Thinking Straight, a special investigative series from the Times and the |
| 1:27.0 | Sunday Times. I'm Emily Sargent. Today, going undercover. |
| 1:42.4 | Before we start, a major content warning on this one. It includes discussion of trauma and abuse. |
| 1:50.7 | Hello. Hi. Hello. How are you? I'm good. How are you doing? Yeah, I'm good. Are you recording this |
| 2:05.4 | call right now? Yeah, I am. Okay. Should I tell the listeners that I'm your friend? This is Suzy |
| 2:12.2 | Ruffel. I'm a comedian and a broadcaster and a podcaster and I'm a very good friend of Emma |
| 2:18.6 | Suzy Ruffel is a stand-up comedian and she also hosts a podcast called Out, interviewing |
| 2:24.1 | inspiring LGBTQIA plus people. She's also on the telly a lot. I've been close friends with Suzy |
... |
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