Conversion

The Tragedy of Conversion Therapy

 

Mark has always known he was Marcia, even before his friends, the girls in the neighborhood, decided to dress him up.  However, a transsexual living in Lincoln Nebraska in the 1960s had to be careful.

As Mark, he must face bullying and violence from his older brother Steve, who is a bit of a jock, and loves teasing his little brother for being such a sissy.  He must also deal with a father who keeps trying to force him to play sports, which doesn't go well.

As Marcia, she must face the punishment of learning to do housework, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and even helping with his little sisters.  A punishment she quickly learns to enjoy.

Other punishments are far more severe, including the belt, the cane, and the box.

But nothing could have prepared Marcia for the "Cure" of "Conversion Therapy", a brutal form of brainwashing that included shocks, torture, sleep deprivation, verbal harassment, and music with subliminal messages.

The best of intentions in hopes of curing Marcia and making her accept being Mark have tragic consequences.

While the story and some of the details are fictional, the story is based on actual experiences of people who experienced such treatments and related them to me.

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