Independent Lens

S23E01 Cured

In an era when homosexuality was deemed a mental disorder needing "treatment," medical professionals resorted to inhumane practices such as electroshock therapy and lobotomies. In response, LGBTQ+ activists, alongside their supporters, mounted a determined resistance. Their efforts culminated in a historic achievement in 1973 when the American Psychiatric Association officially declassified homosexuality from its list of mental disorders, marking a significant turning point in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and recognition.