Inside Creative Inclusion: It's Not Therapy, It's Abuse

Hello all and welcome to the first Inside Creative Inclusion.

Each edition, I will share a piece of incredible work that has focused on creative inclusion, or bought diversity into the work, in an exciting way - with hopefully a little insider knowledge too. 

For February 2023 it had to be 'It’s not therapy it’s abuse', made by The&Partnership for a collective of LGBTQIA+ charities coordinated by Stonewall, to raise awareness of the need to ban conversion therapy for all.

TW: Abuse, coercion, psychological harm.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Nothing but the truth.

I think we can all agree it’s a harrowing, emotionally devastating, and effective piece of film, but for me there is one element that stands out as interesting. 

There is no gimmick here. There is no new invention. There is no twist. No reveal. No exaggeration. It’s nothing but the truth. 

After talking to the team that’s because they worked directly with a whole host of trans folk who had been through conversion therapy, got their true accounts, and simply put them to film. 

Then all the context and information we need as viewers is in the first 10 seconds so we can be taken through what those real people went through. 

Of course it’s more than that, there’s some top grade production here with Zhang & Knight doing a stunning job of directing, alongside perfect script and beautiful casting.

My favourite details are using the nail polish as both a narrative keystone, but also to literally show us pieces of the person in front of us are being ‘chipped away’ and the final line where the dad says 'back to normal' as we are hit with the word abuse.

The comments online focus on action, heartbreak and support with zero debate - which in this day and age about the trans community is unbelievable. 

INSIDE THE IDEA

“The most critical factor for us was the hum drum normality”

I reached out to Mika Alcock (they/them), senior creative at The&Partnership who was key to the campaign, and in particular the script, to give us even more insight. Here’s what they had to say:

Q> What were the key factors in making this feel so real?

Mika> It was a fine balance between wanting to show people how horrific these practices are and not wanting to make it feel like an ad for a Netflix special. We figured that as soon as you put any distance between the viewer and the film then you’ve lost them. It just becomes more extreme content on the internet and we’re already desensitised to that. The most critical factor for us was the hum drum normality of it all. This doesn’t happen in dungeons or camps… it happens in your neighbour’s back room. The last thing that the Gran says to Lara is something that has actually been said to me by someone close to me. It was really important that every fibre of it had a basis in reality.

Q> What was the hardest challenge to overcome?

Mika> The hardest thing was keeping up the blind faith in the face of seemingly insurmountable legal blockades. People are nervous around trans issues because of several years of smears in the media. Unfortunately some of that has stuck, and really it just goes to show how badly the LGBT+ community need their own comms to counter it.

Q> How did you stay safe and sane making something that is so brutal?

Mika> 2022 was full on as it was the year that I also started transitioning. My family of mostly (but not entirely) queer friends have been so so important, my two cats and my actual family have been great too. Many gender nonconforming people don’t have stable support systems. For me it’s been a huge priority to make work that puts a human face to our vulnerable community, to try to begin to turn the tide.

Huge thank you to Mika for giving us a look behind the curtain, and huge shoutout to the entire team who made the campaign. 

If you want to see more head to @StonewallUK social channels, and if you live in the UK don’t forget to email your MP!

Until next time.

Jamie June Hill (They/them)

Creative Inclusivity Director