With the reemergence of popular anti-gay sentiment linked with political platforms centered on the issue of same sex marriage, it might just be time for the documentary One Nation under God to reemerge as well. This film comprehensively and chronologically presents the history of homosexuality in the United States since the 1950s. It describes the attitude taken toward homosexuality prior to the American Psychiatric Associations 1974 decision to remove it from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Moreover, it effectively displays how homophobia was present in mental health treatments during that time, and how present day reparative therapies emerged in the wake of the APA decision.
The strength of this documentary is its organization. It juxtaposes interviews and testimonies from those who work for the ex-gay movement and those whose lives have been affected by it. Though the presentation of the film is somewhat dated, the material it presents is disturbingly timeless. It will be particularly interesting to those knowledgeable about gay culture and the ex-gay movement, and makes a good compliment for the more recent Tom Murray documentary Fish Can't Fly: Conversations about GOD and Struggling to be Gay (2005). However, it is possible that anyone, regardless of prior knowledge, will relate to and learn something from the sentiments the One Nation under God expresses.
The strength of this documentary is its organization. It juxtaposes interviews and testimonies from those who work for the ex-gay movement and those whose lives have been affected by it. Though the presentation of the film is somewhat dated, the material it presents is disturbingly timeless. It will be particularly interesting to those knowledgeable about gay culture and the ex-gay movement, and makes a good compliment for the more recent Tom Murray documentary Fish Can't Fly: Conversations about GOD and Struggling to be Gay (2005). However, it is possible that anyone, regardless of prior knowledge, will relate to and learn something from the sentiments the One Nation under God expresses.