A CURE FOR STRAIGHTNESS

ongoing

A Cure for Straightness, an immersive XR documentary experience sharing the stories of survivors of conversion therapy. This experience exposes the manipulative tactics of conversational conversion therapy—a dangerous and scientifically discredited practice aimed at ‘correcting’ one’s gender identity or sexual orientation through talk therapy. A Cure for Straightness draws from actual materials used in real-world conversion therapy in order to put the audience in a world where queerness is celebrated, and straightness is in need of a cure. The experience challenges participants to engage directly with AI-powered, ex-straight “therapists” in real-time conversations, in order to provide a glimpse into these coercive practices. To progress through the experience, audiences must speak to and interact with manipulative characters that dynamically adapt to your natural language. This groundbreaking use of conversational AI transforms storytelling into an active, deeply personal journey, where compliance or resistance triggers escalating scenarios. By immersing audiences in these dialogues, A Cure for Straightness highlights the absurdity and harm of conversion therapy while fostering empathy and critical reflection. Designed for wide accessibility, A Cure for Straightness will be distributed simultaneously on VR and non-VR platforms including desktop and mobile, ensuring that the experience reaches diverse audiences, making it a transformative tool for advocacy and education. Conversion therapy remains legal in much of the world, and A Cure for Straightness aims to challenge this reality by equipping participants—including policymakers, educators, and communities—with a visceral understanding of its damaging impact, while reinforcing the urgent need to protect LGBTQ+ individuals everywhere.