CURED

Mentally ill. Deviant. Diseased. And in need of a cure.

These were among the terms psychiatrists used to describe lesbians and gay men in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. According to the medical establishment, every gay person – no matter how well-adjusted – suffered from a mental disorder. And as long as lesbians and gay men were “sick,” progress toward equality was impossible. CURED chronicles the battle waged by activists who declared war against a formidable institution—and won a crucial victory in the modern movement for LGBTQ equality.

The documentary takes viewers inside the David-versus-Goliath struggle that led the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to remove homosexuality from its manual of mental illnesses in 1973. The film illuminates the strategy and tactics that led to this pivotal yet largely unknown moment. Indeed, following the Stonewall uprising of 1969, the campaign that culminated in the APA’s decision marks the first major step on the path to first-class citizenship for LGBTQ Americans. Combining eyewitness testimony with newly unearthed archival footage, the film reveals how a small group of impassioned activists achieved this unexpected victory.