People are calling it hateful, homophobic and prejudiced. The film Voices of the Silenced was due to premiere on 8 February at Vue cinema, Piccadilly, London. After reviewing the content of the documentary Vue backed out, fearing criticism. Screening arrangements were made elsewhere.
Using worldwide research and expert analysis, Core Issues Trust (CIT) aims to expel the idea that homosexuality is a matter of genetics or simple preference. Founder Mike Davidson and his team explore the modern-day dogma of sexual politics and legislation, drawing on the contributions of ancient Jewish values to Western civilisation and the similarities between the pre-Christian Graeco-Roman world and the modern-day repeats of its pansexual culture.
Voices of the Silenced proposes reconciliation with the West’s fundamental Judeo-Christian heritage, investigating how the sciences have become servants of ideology, and exploding the myth of neutral secularism and its dangers to society. It reminds us that the gospel, whether equated to personal faith or not, has influenced the West profoundly. Davidson believes that if we forget our Judeo-Christian values, new totalitarianisms will replace them.
The general opinion in the West is: ‘Some people are gay, get over it!’ The film responds with: ‘Some people were gay, get over that!’
Conversion therapy?
All that this documentary was intended to be has been rejected on the presumption that it promotes ‘conversion therapy’. Mike Davidson was invited to speak on Talk Radio about the film, during which the host used the term ‘gay cure’ to describe CIT’s work. Davidson sharply disapproved: ‘We never used that terminology, that’s utter nonsense. That’s what the media uses to dismiss this.’ He continued: ‘Cure assumes some kind of disease, we don’t talk such rubbish. We know that gay people are fully entitled to live as they choose… We make sure that anybody who sits in front of us is there of their own accord, not because of some internalised homophobia, or because of pressure.’
He told the BBC that the film was about ‘the rights of individuals to access help and support for unwanted homosexual feelings’. There is no honest podium upon which we can stand to claim that Voices of the Silenced is hate-fuelled. The supporting evidence for both sides of an argument is the core of debate; the evidence therefore ought to determine the truth of a claim. Currently, homosexuality and surrounding issues are over-protected.
The film predominantly deals with political agendas and historical influences on Western culture. Informative and interesting as this may be, emotion is rather absent. Same-sex attraction is a personal, sensitive topic and though this delicate nature should not exclude it from objective, rational debate, a documentary expressing such unpopular oppositions ought to have focussed a little more on the interviewees who shared their stories. The film’s approach is unlikely to engage and inspire curiosity and debate among outsiders.
When considering sexuality, we are never merely pragmatic, but innately intimate. The media and other public speakers rush to protect and support a person who is proudly homosexual. They will be called brave, celebrated and convinced there is nothing to be debated; their identity is unquestionable. Those same public figures will rush ever faster to degrade and destroy a person who is homosexual but wanting deeper understanding. Sexuality is a complex psycho-spiritual part of us. If sexual orientation is fluid and in any way dependent on environmental influences, these latter people need to be listened to. They are the reason Core Issues Trust dedicated two years to creating this well-researched documentary, giving silenced individuals a platform to share their voices.
